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EVERYWOMAN’S GUIDE 


TO 

HEALTH 

AND 


PERSONAL BEAUTY 



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WTIAT DOES THE MIRROR SAY 


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EVERYWOMAN’S GUIDE 


TO 

HEALTH 

AND 

PERSONAL BEAUTY 


By 

VIRGINIA KIRKUS 

)) 

Contributor to 

“The New York Times” and ‘New York Evening Post” 
Formerly with “Pictorial Review” and 
American Fashion Company 


THE MARTIN & MURRAY COMPANY 
New York City 
1922 




COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY 


MARTIN & MURRAY COMPANY 



K 

eJ 


Special Contributors 


DR. ROYAL SAMUEL COPELAND 

Health Commissioner of New York City 
President of The American Institute of Homeopathy 
Fellow of The American College of Surgeons 
Graduate of University of Michigan 
Studied in Universities of England, France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium 

Author of 

‘ 1 Kefraction, ” “ Overweight, ’ ’ etc., etc. 

WALTER CAMP 

Yale University 

Authority on Athletics and Health 
World’s War 

In charge of the Physical Training of the entire Personnel of the United States Navy. 

Author and Originator 

‘ ‘ The Daily Dozen, ” “ How to Run the Human Machine ’' 

B. MANUEL 

Graduate of L’Ecole des Coiffeurs de France; L’Academie des Coiffeurs de France 
Former Professor L’Academie des Coiffeurs de France 
Beauty Salons 

Aix les Bains, Paris, Monte Carlo, Buenos Ayres and New York 

C. NESTLE 

President of the Ladies’ Hair Dressers’ Association of America 
Inventor and Originator 
The Method of Permanent Hair Waving 

MADAME HELENA RUBINSTEIN 

Expert on Cosmetics 

University of Poland; University of Zurich 

LAURETTE TAYLOR 

Starred in ‘ ‘ Peg O ’ My Heart ’ ’ 

Authority on The Art of Amateur Theatrical Make-Up 















c 








I 
























CONTENTS 

GENERAL REMARKS 

PAGE 

The right to beauty. Importance of keeping beauty after marriage. 
Close connection between health and beauty. Necessity of in¬ 
struction in health. Importance of diet, exercise, fresh air, 
sleep, relaxation, seeing a doctor in illness. So-called ‘‘beauty 
secrets.” Youth a question of physical and mental condition. 
Psychological effect of beauty. Natural charm preferable to 
artificial. Importance of claiming the right to beauty. The 
power of beauty in history. Helen of Troy. Beauty culture in 
early Greece and Rome. Aspasia. Cleopatra. Mary Queen of 
Scots. Marie Antionette. Marquise de Pompadour. Countess 
du Barry. Madame Recamier. Queen Louise of Prussia. 
Simonetta. Countess de Castiglione. Mona Lisa. Beatrice. 
Ninon de Lenclos. Pauline Bonaparte. Nell Gwynn. Change 
in attitude towards women gives different value to beauty ... 19 

Part I. 

THE FIGURE 

Chapter I —Exercise. The figure as the basis for beauty. Normal 
exercise essential to health. Exercise as a cure for many ail¬ 
ments. Correct breathing as a necessary foundation for exer¬ 
cise. Exercises for development of chest expansion. Energiz¬ 
ing exercises on waking in the morning. Value of Walter 
Camp’s “Daily Dozen.” The “ideal form.” Test exercises 
to mark increase in strength. Chinning; pushing up; back 
bending; abdominal exercise; thigh exercise; rising on toes. 
Carriage as a factor of beauty. Dangers of wrong posture. 

Test of correct posture. Muscular control brings grace of ac¬ 
tion. Exercise to correct posture and give muscular control,— 
windmill exercise, bending exercise, toe circle exercise. Cer¬ 
tain of the “Daily Dozen” adapted to these needs. General 
exercises necessary for localized defects. Specialized exercises 
for development:—bust development, development of neck 

9 


10 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


muscles, development of shoulders, development of calf mus¬ 
cles, development of abdominal muscles, massage exercises for 
filling out hollows in cheeks. Specialized exercises for reduc¬ 
tion:—reducing a double chin, reducing fat around the neck 
and shoulders, reducing the forearm. §9 

Chapter II— Diet. Close connection between diet, exercise and 
health. Two meals a day sufficient. Simplicity of diet the road 
to health. Diet a cure for constipation. A balanced diet 
should supply proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, and vita- 
mines, in due proportion. Diet to increase weight. Ideal 
weight. General rules for weight-gaining programme. Milk 
as a main fattening food. Other fattening foods. Calory sys¬ 
tem regulates diet for gaining as well as for reducing. Diet for 
reducing weight. Necessity for reducing. Diet essential for 
reduction. Rules for reducing programme. Necessity of al¬ 
lowing for individual differences. General principles govern¬ 
ing calory system. Fasting. Advisability of eliminating fat- 
producing foods. List of fattening foods. List of unfattening 
foods. 87 

Chapter III— Modern Systems for Perfecting the Figure. Spe¬ 
cial article by Dr. Royal S. Copeland: “Efficiency First 
—Therefore Reduce.” Large proportion of stout women. 
Danger of fat. Best time of life for reducing. Reducing by 
exercise and diet. System used with reducing squad. Value to 
public of reducing squad. 107 

Special Article by Walter Camp : “Health as the Foundation for 
Beauty ” Right thinking gives beauty. Shifting standards. 
Importance of health. Elements essential—work, light, air, 
and water. Beauty of face and form and how to attain it. 

New system of exercises emphasizes trunk muscles.* Exer¬ 
cise to music. 112 

Reduction by electric manipulation of the muscles. Advantages of 
electric systems. Automatic exercise of muscles brings reduc¬ 
tion but diet and exercise keep it. Description of apparatus 
and system. Other forms of electric treatment. Special re¬ 
ducing systems:—rubber garments. Fake systems. 122 

Chapter IV— Sports for Women. Change in type of beauty. 
Value of week ends to business women. Sports within reach in 
city and country, for all ages. Swimming:—value; kinds of 







CONTENTS 


11 


swimming; bathing suits; diving. Horse back riding. Danc¬ 
ing :—social, interpretive, folk dancing; absurdity of criticism. 
Tennis. Golf. Bowling. Winter sports:—skating, skiing, to¬ 
bogganing. Basket Ball. Hockey. Track:—running, hur¬ 
dling, jumping, etc. Basball. Walking:—as a pleasure, as a 
health builder and reducer. Effect of sports on your looks and 
health. Effect on your mental attitude. 

Part II 
THE HAIR 

Chapter I— Care of the Hair. Beautiful hair attainable by every¬ 
one. Physiology of the hair. Care of a baby’s hair, of a child’s 
hair. The right implements. How to brush and comb the hair. 
Shampooing hair—frequency, sun baths, soaps, egg shampoo, 
method of procedure. Scalp massage, hair pulling, pinching 
the skin, electric massage. Dry shampoo. Hot and cold appli¬ 
cations. Danger of hot air drying. Treatment of gray hair. 
Split hair. Tonics for general health of hair. Attitude to hair¬ 
dressers. Reasons for strength of hair in primitive people. 

Importance of well-fitting hats . 

Chapter II— Common Diseases of the Hair and Scalp. Any hair 
trouble in reality a disease. Causes for diseases of the hair. 
Dandruff—cause and treatment. General rules in regard to 
hair tonics. Baldness—cause and treatment. Parasitic condi¬ 
tions—causes and environment responsible for them; favus, 
ringworm, lice; danger of contagion. Regularity of care 

would prevent most diseases. 

Chapter III —Superfluous Hair. Definition of superfluous hair. 
Dangers of depilatories. Other methods for removal. Bleach¬ 
ing methods. Shaving and pumice treatments. Advisability of 

getting rid of superfluous hair. 

Chapter IV— Hairdressing. Dyeing the hair. Bleaching. False 
hair,—care. Proper use of hairpins, nets, curlers. Water wave. 
Bobbed hair—style, care, curling, protection from dampness. 
Arrangement of hair—becomingness and appropriateness. In¬ 
troduction to special articles. 

Special article by C. Nestle: li A Permanent Wave” The dis¬ 
covery proclaims it a science. Kinds of hair on Caucasians. 


PAGE 


125 


143 


169 


183 


189 







12 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Effect of civilization on curly hair. Experimental work in 
permanent waving. Importance of skilled labor. Twofold ac¬ 
tion required. Description of proper method. Explanation of 
permanency. Effect on hair and dangers of haphazard 
methods. Necessity of demanding quality not quantity. Lanoil 
taking place of borax, Growth of hair makes renewal at in¬ 


tervals necessary. 198 

Special aeticle by Manuel: “High Lights on the Modern Trans¬ 
formations.” The need of transformations. The importance 
of the right transformation. Description. Results of use. 
Variety. Possibilities . 202 


Part III 
THE SKIN 

Chapter I —The Care of the Skin. Characteristics and value of 
a beautiful skin. Basis of health. Structure of skin. Physical 
properties of skin. Hygiene of skin. Cleanliness—washing, 
soaps, drying. Use of creams—value, dangers, kinds, applica¬ 
tion. Lotions—formulae. Powder—value, kinds. Perfumes 
and toilet water—use, consistency in perfumes, bath salts. 
Care of wash cloths, sponges, etc. Care of powder puffs. Of 

creams. Uncleanliness responsible for many troubles. 211 

Chapter II —Treatment of Ordinary Disorders of the Skin. 
Chafing. Chaping. Oiliness—treatment of oiliness and of en¬ 
larged pores. Blackheads—cause and treatment. Pimples— 
acne, home treatment of scattered pimples, acne rosacea , vas¬ 
cular ectases. Sunburn, freckles, and tanning—cause, treat¬ 
ments, lotions. Skin blemishes—moles, warts, moth patches, 
spots around eyelids. Red nose. Cold sores. Skin diseases 
without the province of this volume. Poison ivy. Dangers 

of salves and ointments. Importance of medical advice. 225 

Chapter III— Facial Massage. Purpose of massage. Preparation 
for massage. Types of massage. Order followed in massag¬ 
ing whole face. Molding. Different skins require different 
treatments. Massage of forehead. Massage of cheeks. Mas¬ 
sage of chin. Massage for neck and lip wrinkles, drooping cor¬ 
ners of mouth, wrinkles around eyes, under eyes, for crow’s 
feet, for wrinkles on forehead. Dangers of massage. Use of 






CONTENTS 


13 


PAGE 

skin foods and tonics with massage. Cupping. Wrinkle plas¬ 
ters. Dangers of paraffin injections. Control of expression 
prevents wrinkles .„. 233 

Chapter IV— The Art op Making Up. Prevalence of use of 
make-up in America. Excessive use of creams responsible for 
many sallow skins. Care of skin as foundation for cosmetics. 
Proper use of cosmetics—of rouge, powder, lip-sticks. Making 
up eyes—warning, making up lashes and brows. Limit use of 


cosmetics. Make-up for amateur theatricals. 243 

An Interview with Laurette Taylor. Limit degree of make-up. 
Follow natural tendencies in use of grease paint, rouge, lip 
coloring. Eyes. Removal of make-up. Main principles for 
basis of character make-up. 246 


Part IV 

THE FEATURES 

Chapter I —The Eyes and Ears. Health essential to beauty in 
eyes. Consult an oculist for eye strain. Careless treat¬ 
ment responsible for much trouble with the eyes. Danger of 
excessive bathing of the eyes. Removing a cinder. Importance 
of exercise and massage of eyes. Circulation exercise to re¬ 
lieve discoloration and puffiness. Massage instructions. Mold¬ 
ing massage for sagging muscles around eyes. Instructions 
for strengthening growth of eyelashes and eyebrows. To cure 
a purulent secretion at roots of eyelashes. Pulling as a method 
of strengthening lashes and eyebrows. Care of eyelashes and 
eyebrows. The Ears—Cleansing the ears. Ear caps as an 
aid to protruding ears. To correct very red or very white 

ears . 253 

Chapter II— The Mouth and Teeth. Importance of care. Care 
of a baby’s mouth. Cleansing of teeth. Cause of malforma¬ 
tion of mouth. Cure of canker sores. Cure of offensive breath. 

Harelip. Effect of pouting, of fingering lips, and so on. 261 

Chapter III— Renewing Your Youth. Plastic surgery a well- 
defined branch of surgery. Limited use. Possibilities claimed 
by surgeons. Face lifting. Dangers of quack methods, such 
as paraffin filling. The serum of youth. European scientists 
and the monkey gland transference. 265 








14 CONTENTS 

PAGE 

An Interview with Mme. Helena Rubinstein: Steps taken 
towards a serum for women. Results of experiments. Future 
possibilities of this science. 267 

Part V 
THE HAND 

Chapter I— The Care of the Hands. Pretty hands the result of 
care. Care of the hands when doing housework. Care of the 
hands in gardening and sports. Lotion for stains. Recipe for 
chapped hands. Cause and remedy for red hands—skin food 
and lotion formulas. Sunburn and freckles. Hand treatment 
included in manicure. Value of hand treatment. Enlarged 
veins. Enlarged joints. Twitching hands. Hardened hands. 

Fat or thin hands. Temperature of hands. Removal of hair 
on hands and arms. Gloves. 271 

Chapter II —The Care of the Nails : Importance of care of the 
nails. Physiology of the nails. Care of the cuticle. Protec¬ 
tion of nails in housework. A professional manicure, and a 
hand treatment. Home manicuring. Preparations used in 
manicuring. Methods used by manicures that are essential 
for home care. Care of instruments. Fragile nails. Bruised 
nails. White spots. Nail biting. Relation between manicur¬ 
ing and make-up. 281 

Part VI 
THE FOOT 

Chapter I —The Care of the Feet. Effect of bad feet on life and 
disposition. Wrong shoes at the root of most troubles. The 
right kind of shoe. The right kind of stocking. Change shoes 
and stockings frequently. Trimming the nails. Bathing the 
feet. Resting the feet. Exercising the feet. 293 

Chapter II— Treatment of Common Troubles with the Feet. 

The importance of going to a chiropodist. The necessary in¬ 
struments for home treatment of the feet. Preparation of the 
feet. Treatment of calouses. Formation and treatment of a 
hard or soft corn. Antiseptic ointment for the feet. Descrip¬ 
tion of a vascular corn. Description and treatment of chil- 






CONTENTS 


15 


PAGE 

blains. Bunions. Ingrowing nails. Flat feet or fallen arches. 
Begin life with right care of feet. 299 

Part VII 
CLEANLINESS 

Chapter I —The Bath. Bathing as a factor in beauty and health. 
Different kinds of baths. The cold bath. The warm bath. 

The sponge bath. Soap. Care of the sponge, wash cloths, 
towels. The Turkish bath. The Russian bath. ‘ ‘ Freak baths ’ ’ 

—milk, bran, etc. Irritation of the skin after bathing. Bathing 

during menstruation. 309 

Chapter II— Excessive Perspiration and Other Unnecessary 
Odors. Connection between perspiration and cleanliness. Two 
kinds of glands—perspiratory and oil glands. Physiology of 
the perspiratory glands. Sensible and insensible perspiration. 
Odorono. A good powder. Physiology of the oil glands. 
Preparations for decreasing oiliness. Other discharges.313 

Part VIII 

CLOTHES AS A FACTOR IN BEAUTY 

Clothes give finishing touch. Selection of corsets illustrates 
the connection between clothes and health. Trend toward 
simplicity in clothes. Suitability of clothes to individual type. 
Suitability of clothes to occupation. Necessity of attention to 
details—shoes, gloves, jewelry, eye-glasses. The unbecoming 
costume is not smart. 321 


Appendix I 

SOME FUNDAMENTAL FACTS OF FIRST AID AND HOME 

NURSING 

The Red Cross courses and booklets. The first aid kit, and the 
medicine chest. Importance of professional treatment. The 
tools of first aid—bandages, splints; tourniquets; heat; cold; 
stimulants; emetics. General principles in preparing patient. 
Shock. Bleeding—arterial; venous; capillary; internal; nose 
bleed; bite of animal or snake. Bruises; strains; sprains; 






16 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


dislocations. Burns—from dry heat, from liquid; from acid or 
alkali. Unconsciousness—fainting; fits; apoplexy; alcoholic 
poisoning; sunstroke; heat exhaustion; freezing. Common 
ailments—colds; headaches; diarrhea; hiccough. Prevention 
of spreading disease—care of water, milk, food, insects. People 
as germ carriers through—coughing, sneezing, etc. Duties of 
home nurse—obey doctor; make chart of temperature, pulse, 
etc.; care of sick room and patient; follow instructions about 
diet and medicine. 328 


Appendix II 

Valuable Miscellaneous Formulae for Every Day Use in Addition 
to Those Used Throughout the Book. Lotion for sunburn. 
Excellent cold cream. Tonic for dandruff. Cure for ivy 
poison. To dry up cold sores or fever blisters. A soothing 
application for sunburn. Lanolin cold cream. Quinine hair 
tonic. Bandoline. Dr. W. C. S. hair tonic. For enlarged pores 
and whitening the skin. Skin tissue cream. Camphorated 
witch hazel lotion. One-two three toothache drops. To dry 
up pimples. For excessive perspiration. Excellent shampoo. 
Soothing foot powder. For perspiration of the feet. Mouth 


wash. For corns. 342 

Index.344 





LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Frontispiece—What Does the Mirror Say? . 

Lady Hamilton. 23 

'Duchess of Devonshire. 27 

Madame Le Brun. 33 

Cleopatra . 37 

Mary Queen of Scots. 41 

Marie Antionette . 105 

• Du Barry. 109 

Madame de Recamier. 53 

Queen Louise . 45 

Mona Lisa . 49 

Breathing Exercise . 57 

'Exercise for Improving Carriage. 61 

Back Bending Exercise—Forward Sweep. 65 

' Back Bending Exercise—End of Forward Sweep. 69 

'Exercise for Thigh Muscles .. 73 

Windmill Exercise A . 77 

v Windmill Exercise B . 101 

Bending Exercise. 81 

Exercise for Development of the Neck. 85 

Exercise for Development of Abdominal Muscles. 89 

Exercise for Development of Shoulders. 93 

Exercise for Development of Bust. 97 

The Secret of Beauty Lies in Expression. 113 

The Folk Dance Gives Fresh Sparkle to the Eyes. 129 

The Good Tennis Player is Always Popular. 133 

Cross Section of the Skin. 145 

The Proper Method of Combing Hair. 149 

Hair Pulling. 155 

Dry Shampoo . 159 

Scalp Massage . 163 

Luxuriant Growth Characterizes the Hair of the Aborigines. 167 

A Simple Coiffure Increases Youthful Charm. 175 

White Hair is a Mark of Distinction. 187 

A Bandeau Holds Bobbed Hair in Place. 191 

17 





































18 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The Classic Type of Face Can Wear this Simple Coiffure. 195 

The Changing Mode is Reflected in the Modern Transformation .. 203 

The Transformation is Adapted to Every Age and Type. 207 

Youth, Health and Beauty Should go Hand in Hand. 217 

Chart Showing Position of Muscles of Face and Neck. 235 

Added Years Should Give Added Charm. 241 

Beauty is Enhanced by Sparkling Eyes and Well-shaped Brows .. 251 

Beautiful Teeth Are a Never-failing Attraction. 259 

A Beautiful Arm and Hand Are Invaluable Assets. 279 

Mysterious Charm Lurks in a Serious Far-away Expression. 291 

Simplicity is the Keynote of Good Taste. 307 

A Simple, Becoming Costume Enhances Natural Charm. 

A Graceful Tilt of the Head Adds Charm to Beauty. 













GENERAL REMARKS 


H EALTH and Beauty are not synonymous, to be sure, but so 
closely are they connected that a discussion of the one 
cannot be complete without mention of the other. Health 
is, assuredly, the foundation of beauty, and, except for the fea¬ 
tures, no part of the body can be really beautiful unless it is 
healthy. Skin, hair, figure—these may make or mar a person’s 
looks, even though the features may be classic in their beauty. 
And no one can have a beautiful skin, glowing with natural color, 
or luxuriant, glossy hair, or a trim, well-developed figure, unless 
she has health. Every child is brought into the world with a 
right to be healthy, and every baby girl with an equal right to be 
beautiful, inasmuch as beauty is the age-old attribute of woman, 
a right expected and demanded of them by man. It is scarcely 
fair that man should expect so much, and yet be the first to criti¬ 
cise the woman who deliberately cultivates beauty. Our man¬ 
made code of morals connects beauty with sex, and our woman- 
made code of morals regards sex with a certain shrinking, as if it 
were not an innate truth of our being, but rather a distortion' of 
the truth. If the question of sex were faced squarely, and the rela¬ 
tion of beauty to sex recognized in its true value, there would be 
happier marriages. 

A woman preserves her beauty until after marriage—or per¬ 
haps Nature preserves it for her during her youth; then she feels 
that she need exert her charms no longer, she allows herself to get 
careless about the care of her skin, her hair, her hands, her figure, 
she spends less thought on her clothes, she becomes the slave of 
her household. For a time, her husband may not notice this. 
Then, probably as the result of meeting other women who have 
continued to cultivate beauty, the realization comes to him with a 

19 


2 


20 


GENERAL REMARKS 


sudden shock, he does not appreciate the fact that it is in sacri¬ 
ficing herself to his demands that his wife has let her youth and 
beauty go from her, and he turns to other women for what his wife 
cannot supply. It is unfair; but it is unnecessary. In the long 
run, it is sacrificing the home and the children more disastrously, 
and more lastingly, than giving some time each day would have 
been throughout the years when beauty was still within her grasp. 

— Intellectual women are beginning to realize this fact and to study 
how to keep their youth and beauty, how to improve upon what 
Nature has endowed them with, and how to fill in the deficiencies. 
This is no longer considered a sign of moral depravity, a thing to 
be concealed, but it is recognized as a right. To this end, it is 
essential that women should know the facts that make for beauty, 
and not try out the unauth entica ted remedies of quacks and ama¬ 
teur beauty columnists. And the fundamental fact is Health. 

The rules of health should be taught in early childhood. 
Fortunately, the educational institutions are beginning to incor¬ 
porate health and hygiene instruction in their curricula, and the 
most important facts of healthy living are taught to children from 
the primary grades up. Instruction is given on such fundamental 
things as the care of the teeth, the care of the eyes, the importance 
of right posture, the necessity of regular exercise, the need of sys¬ 
tematic eating and not seating between meals, a certain amount of 
sex hygiene, and so on. Unfortunately, many of these children 
come from and return to homes where the simplest rules of health 
are ignored, and the school instruction is ignored. On the other 
hand, many of the children of foreign-born parents are teaching 
their parents, and gradually helping to bring them to an apprecia¬ 
tion of the value of healthful living as a means to greater effi¬ 
ciency. The public will be educated by slow degrees, but they will 
be educated eventually. Meantime, it is amazing how many peo¬ 
ple do not know the simplest laws of right living. 

No one thing is responsible for more troubles than wrong diet. 
People should eat at regular intervals, and avoid eating between 



GENERAL REMARKS 


21 


meals. They should know what constitutes a balanced diet, and 
what they should avoid if they wish to gain or to reduce, what 
results in good digestion, and so on. The matter of diet is dis¬ 
cussed at length in a later chapter, but there are a few general 
principles which would not be amiss here. The appetite should 
be trained into natural and wholesome paths, best adapted to the 
life you lead. A good digestion depends more on a contented mind 
than most of us are willing to acknowledge. Next time you allow 
yourself to lose your temper, watch and see how it affects first 
your appetite and then your digestion. Eye-strain, too, more than 
any other disability, has a tremendous effect on digestion, and its 
correction frequently results in a marked improvement in your 
digestion. The teeth, too, are responsible for many cases of chronic 
indigestion. The time for meals should be determined by the kind 
of life led. The heartiest meal should be taken when there is least 
cause for haste, and in most households this means at the end of 
the day. A heavy noon-day meal leaves one rather sleepy and not 
able to attack the work of the afternoon. Breakfast, too, should 
never be heavy—the functional activities are not sufficienly 
aroused. A man who engages in heavy manual labor needs more 
food and food rich in carbohydrates and fats; the question of 
variety is not so important, for appetite does not have to be 
tempted. A man who does mental work should take food which 
is very nutritious and easily digested. In cold climates large 
amounts of fats are necessary; in hot climates, fruits and carbo¬ 
hydrates are preferable. Coffee, tea, and cocoa are not usually 
harmful unless taken in excess; alcoholic beverages frequently 
produce digestive disturbances; water should be drunk both with 
meals and between meals, to the extent of eighty ounces of fluid a 
day, if . fluid has not been taken in some other form. The effects 
of wrong diet are conspicuous in the condition of the skin, the hair, 
and the eyes, three essentials to beauty in its full development. 

Exercise, too, is a subject that cannot be passed over lightly, 
and hence is treated later. But is is as essential to health as food 


22 


GENERAL REMARKS 


and sleep, both in its effect on the muscles of the body and in its 
getting you into the sun and air, two of the greatest healers in the 
world. Exercises indoors are a substitute for the normal outdoor 
exercise of the country-bred man or woman, and should be taken 
with the windows open and as few restrictions in the way of cloth¬ 
ing as feasible, so as to get the benefits of the air as quickly as 
possible within the limits imposed by four walls. Dancing is 
splendid exercise, but in that it takes place indoors, and usually 
in an overheated room, it does not serve as a substitute for other 
exercise. So, young girls, who dance the nights away, do not feel 
that you are justified in resting indoors all day. A short brisk 
walk in the open air will rest you far more than hours on a chaise 
longue, with a book and a box of chocolates. Housework is the 
best exercise in the world, but try to get some fresh air at the 
same time, by having your windows open while you are sweeping. 

This is too good a chance to lose to slip in a word about fresh 
air in your houses. « American houses are overheated in winter 
and not airy enough in summer. Every house should be thor¬ 
oughly aired every day; the temperature in winter should be kept 
between 65 degrees and 68 degrees Fahrenheit; at night you 
should sleep with at least two windows open. If this makes a draft 
across your head, open the windows from the top, but open them all 
the way. A few inches are not enough, and you are much more 
likely to catch cold from too little air than from too much. Do not 
shut out the sunlight, even if you are afraid it will fade your cur¬ 
tains. Sunlight is a deadly foe to germs. Sit in the sun as much as 
you can. Sun baths are good for your skin, within certain limits 
(see chapter on the skin for further details , and excellent for your 
hair. If you work in an office, risk the disapprobation of the anti¬ 
draft fiends and open your window enough to keep the air fresh. 
Ventilators come for windows in public buildings, and these 
should be installed in all offices and schools. They direct the air 
current so as to avoid drafts, and with the aid of occasional thor¬ 
ough airings-out (at lunch hour, for example) keep the rooms 



© Brown Brothers, N. Y. 

LADY HAMILTON—BY WESTALL 












GENERAL REMARKS 


25 


fresh and healthy. If offices had more fresh air and sunlight, 
there would be fewer tired business men and tired business 
women. 

Now a word about sleep. Nature decrees that sleep be taken 
at certain hours, and the same amount of sleep at other hours does 
not seem to take its place. That is why men cannot be kept at 
night work indefinitely, and why debutantes cannot make up their 
lost hours of sleep in the daytime. People need different amounts 
of sleep—some can get along on six hours, others need ten, but 
seven and a half or eight hours are an excellent average, and if 
maintained as a standard would bring health to many now in a 
chronic condition of poor health. The frequency with which you 
can let up on this average and take a “night off” depends on the 
kind of life you lead. Business men and women cannot “burn 
the candle at both ends” and be efficient. You may not realize the 
effect on your health for some time, but your employers will recog¬ 
nize that your work is below par, and your friends will remark 
on how much older you are looking and how much less attractive— 
behind your back, no doubt, but you will hear the remarks sooner 
or later. Insomnia is a very trying and a very prevalent ailment. 
In its milder forms it is overcome with comparative ease. Mental 
work should be performed in the early part of the day, outdoor 
exercise must be taken, the bedroom should be well-aired. Take 
a warm bath, drink a glass of warm milk or bouillon to draw the 
blood from the head to the stomach, and do not use too many 
covers. A bed should not be too soft, and the pillow should be 
rather low. Try not to go over the affairs of the day; if you find 
yourself doing this, force yourself to distort things until they are 
ridiculous, repeat nonsense rhymes, do anything to get your mind 
into a condition of not working overtime. If insomnia is constant 
and prolonged, consult your physician. 

Closely connected with the question of sleep is the subject of 
relaxation. One may say it is impossible to learn to relax, that 
thinking about it only makes you tenser. But this is not true, if 


26 


GENERAL REMARKS 


you carry it far enough, you can force yourself to relax by relaxing 
first with one part of the body, then with another, consciously. 
The ability to relax is an art to be cultivated by every woman who 
wishes to have grace and dignity. Lack of self-consciousness is 
essential to true grace, and though absolute muscular control is 
a step towards this end, the ability to relax is equally essential. 
So much for its connection with beauty. Its relation to health is 
of inestimable importance. If you can relax absolutely for a few 
moments every day, you will find that you can work better the rest 
of the time. During and after meals try to keep yourself from 
being tense, and your digestive apparatus will function better. 
Relax when you go to bed at night and you will not be troubled 
with insomnia. Learn to relax after your dinner, and you will 
throw off the day’s fatigue in half the time. 

An exercise freqently used in connection with setting-up ex¬ 
ercises will be found helpful in teaching you to relax. Raise your 
arms above your head, holding them out straight and stiff. Relax 
the fingers; the hands (letting them fall from the wrist); the 
arms from the elbows, from the shoulders, letting them drop 
limply at the side; drop the head forward; then the shoulders; 
then the body from the waist; then, letting the knees go, slip down 
on the floor. You wont hurt yourself; falling hurts you only when 
you are tense. 

As a last warning in regard to healthy living, don’t try to be 
your own doctor on all occasions. Learn the fundamental rules of 
health so that you can live a normal life and get the most out of 
it. Don’t imagine you have some ailment or other all the time, 
don’t worry about yourself and run to the doctor for every toe- 
ache ; but when there is something wrong, don’t try to cure your¬ 
self by quack remedies. A doctor can set things right in short 
order and save you time and money in the end. If you know 
enough about health to distinguish between a slight ailment and 
real illness, you will not need a doctor very often. As for “beauty 
doctors”—avoid them as you would the plague. There should 



THE DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE—BY GAINSBOROUGH 

















* 
















GENERAL REMARKS 


29 


be no “beauty secrets”—if they are secret they are probably harm¬ 
ful and cannot bear the light of day, or else they are merely a 
waste of time and money. Follow the fundamental rules of health, 
consult a physician when it is necessary, learn to take the exer¬ 
cise you need, to eat what you need, to care for your skin, your 
hair, your hands, and your feet, to make the most of the features 
Nature has given you, to be dainty and clean, to dress to best 
advantage, and you will not need to consult beauty specialists 
nor to delve into the mysteries of “beauty secrets.” 

What are these “beauty secrets” anyhow? They have been dis¬ 
cussed from earliest times, and light thrown on them by subse¬ 
quent generations has shown them up for what they are—super - 
stitutions for the most part, with a grain of truth to give them life. 
Cleopatra, whose name has been one to conjure with in circles 
where beauty is discussed, is said to have bathed in perfumed 
oil of palm and olive, and thus have preserved eternal youth. Lu- 
crezia Borgia used decoctions of herbs and strawberry juice as 
a face lotion, and to-day the so-called strawberry blush reflects 
this cosmetic of ancient days. Novels of the time of Nell Gwynn 
tell of whitening the teeth with gun-powder, of shampooing with 
lye made of roots of hemp and cabbage, and preserving youth with 
a tonic made of nettle juice. The Duchess of Marlborough is sup¬ 
posed to have washed her hair in diluted honey. How many of 
these secrets of former days hold any hidden power to-day? How 
many of the present-day secrets carry any weight with reliable 
authorities? Many specialists keep their formulae to themselves, 
not because they claim occult power but because commercial rea¬ 
sons demand that they do not publish their recipes broadcast. 
They are justified, undoubtedly, so if you wish to get the best 
preparations go to a reliable firm and buy them. If you cannot 
get them in that way, follow the simple formulae given in this 
volume (they have been tested by a chemist and are perfectly 
safe), and follow the directions in caring for your skin, your hair, 
and your hands, and you will not need to consult specialists. 


30 


GENERAL REMARKS 


There is no excuse for a woman neglecting her personal ap¬ 
pearance. The charge of caring overmuch for beauty is not often 
justified—every woman has a right to make the best of what she 
has, and she will be healthier and happier if she keeps her youth 
and charm. Youth is a matter of physical and mental condition, 
rather than of years. And mental condition is a reflection of the 
physical and vice versa. If you feel thoroughly well, your spirits 
are high and you are not nervous and tense; if you keep cheerful 
and do not worry, your health is better. And so it goes. 

Many of the most famous women of history and literature, 
women famous for their beauty and their brains, have been at 
the height of their power during the years commonly called “mid¬ 
dle life,” the years when many women feel that the best of life 
is over and their is no use trying to cultivate charm any longer. 
Don’t let yourself get this point of view. Even old age may be 
beautiful and a youthful spirit may be kept until the last. Looks 
have an uncanny influence on your point of view. 

Nobody can afford to ignore this influence of looks, for not 
only can you do things far better if you are sure you look your best, 
but other people are more easily convinced of your ability if you 
are well-groomed and show signs of taking care of your skin, 
your hair, and your hands. A person who is slovenly about her 
own appearance is apt to be slovenly about other things. Another 
point: a girl who comes to an office in the morning with her hair 
carefully arranged and her skin in good condition will take less 
time from her work during the day to put in order what should 
have been in order when she arrived. Perhaps you do not think 
matters of this kind weigh with a man when he employs a girl, 
but you are wrong. Whether you are going to get a job or not is 
often settled in the employer’s mind within two minutes of your 
entering his room. If you move with assurance, hold yourself 
as if you knew you had a spine, look as though you cared enough 
for your appearance to take some pains, show that you are healthy 
and normal in mind and body, your battle is more than half won. 


GENERAL REMARKS 


31 


If you are not gifted with regular features and curly hair and a 
glowing, fine skin, you can do much to remedy matters by studying 
what your hair and skin lack and that can be supplied by care 
and attention, and then by giving a few moments each day to 
filling this need. Your figure is, assuredly, your responsibility. 
No one need be too fat or too thin in these days, and the question 
of posture and carriage is a matter of right habit. Regular exer¬ 
cise and regular diet will keep a good figure good; if you are too 
fat or too thin, you will find in the following pages the means to 
remedy your deficiencies. 

Of course, there is such a thing as caring too much for your 
appearance, spending too much time on “beauty culture.” Strike 
the happy medium. And remember that natural charm is far 
more attractive than artificiality. Americans “make up” more 
than any other nation in the world, and, if one can judge from the 
crowds on the city streets they are vying with one another to see 
how much they can put on their faces. Does anybody see any¬ 
thing attractive in this concealing the natural skin under layers 
of cream and rouge and powder, of blackening the eyebrows when 
they are meant to be brown, of putting mascara on the lashes 
until they stick together? There is an art in making up, and, if 
you need a touch of artificial color to bring out your best points, 
and of powder to soften and protect the skin, learn to do it so that 
it will look natural. The day has passed by when cultured, well- 
bred women consider the use of cosmetics one of the “seven deadly 
sins,” and women realize that, properly used, a touch of rouge 
and a film of powder enhance their charms and, instead of harm¬ 
ing the skin, protect it. Strive towards attaining normal health 
so that you will not need to assist Nature, but if you know that 
you are better looking with a little more color than you have 
naturally, use a touch of rouge where your color should be, not 
where it will proclaim itself with a hectic flush that nature could 
never give. There is an art in using make-up—learn that art be¬ 
fore you spoil your good looks and ruin your skin. And once more 


32 


GENERAL REMARKS 


do not use cosmetics unless they are essential to make you look 
your best. 

Our aim in this volume is to help you look your best, to teach 
you how to care for your figure, your skin, and your hair, to make 
the most of what you have. We have not been led aside by fads, 
but have tried to get down to fundamental truths. Authorities 
along different lines have been consulted and some of them have 
contributed special articles so as to give the public the benefit of 
their wide experience. We have not attempted to write for the 
professionals along the various lines, but rather to put things 
simply and clearly so as to benefit women in every field of life— 
in the home, in business, in city or country—and to show you that 
you have a right to beauty, a right you should exercise for the good 
of society at large as well as for your own good. If you learn 
this lesson, this volume will not have been written in vain. 





MADAME LE BRUN—BY HERSELF 





THE POWER OF BEAUTY IN HISTORY 


T HE annals of history are full of the stories of beautiful 
women who made or marred the fortunes of the men who fell 
victims to their charms. Far back, before the dawn of writ¬ 
ten history, the beauty of women was sung by the ancient bards, and 
Helen of Troy has come down to ns through the Iliad as the cause 
of that legendary war between the Greeks and Trojans. Legend 
tells that she was the daughter of Zeus and Nemesis, but that in 
her infancy she was taken by Leda and raised as her foster-child. 
Her beauty from the first was a poAver fatal to her and at the age 
of ten she was stolen away by Theseus, to be traced down and re¬ 
covered by her half-brothers, Castor and Pollux. Many suitors 
claimed her hand, and when she chose Menelaus, thirty of her 
lovers vowed to protect her from further mishap in after life. 
Then came Paris, son of the King of Troy, and, in fulfilment of 
the promise made to him by Venus that the most beautiful woman 
in the world should be his wife, he stole Helen and fled Avith her 
to Troy. The story of the ten-year war, Avith the Greeks under 
the leadership of the thirty Avho had loved her, is well knoAvn to 
every school child. At the end, Helen Avas brought back to Greece, 
but to the present day her beauty is a household word. 

The Greeks worshiped beauty above everything else, and 
strove for beauty of form in men and women alike. Of prehistoric 
times we can judge something by the relics discovered by the arch¬ 
eologists. The early Cretans have left us figures of women, clad in 
garments amazingly like those of the present day, with em¬ 
broidered jackets, laced bodices, and flounced skirts, richly em¬ 
broidered. The coiffures rival those of the most elaborate fashions 
of the French Empire. The early Greeks, however, realized that 
true beauty was at its best when simple, and men and Avomen wore 

35 


36 


THE POWER OF BEAUTY TN HISTORY 


graceful flowing robes of soft colors, and the women arranged their 
hair close to the head and low at the back of the neck. We can 
see in any collection of antiquities exquisite examples of the 
jewelry worn by these early Greeks, fibulas or safety pins of cun¬ 
ningly wrought gold, pendants, earrings, discs, necklaces, rings, 
diadems, all showing the goldsmiths’ art at its best. Precious 
stones came at a later period, and with enameling and engraving 
on stones, afford wide variety in these ornaments. Glass work, 
too, reached a high degree of perfection, and glass beads show 
spirals and circles of contrasting colors, in yellow, blue, and 
white. Mirrors of those early days were made of burnished 
bronze, and stood on elaborate stands or were made to be held 
in the hand. On the back would be a design in relief, and later 
the art of engraving was applied to the face of the mirrors. The 
vases and wall paintings show women engaged in every-day la¬ 
bors, and many of them picture the secrets of the boudoirs, the 
dressing of hair, the touching up of the faces. For cosmetics were 
in very general use among the women of the Greek cities. Other 
mural paintings depict them arranging their linen garments, 
perfuming them and folding them away. Oil jugs, jars of per¬ 
fumed waters for the baths, boxes still containing rouge pots, 
and wonderfully wrought toilet articles are abundant. So it is 
safe to assume that the secrets of beauty were not evolved in the 
last few centuries. Other nations have left us their relics—the 
Egyptian women understood the arts of caring for the skin beyond 
all other ancient nations. The Romans followed the customs of 
the Greeks in this direction as in most others, but since physical 
beauty ranked lower in their estimation than in that of the 
Greeks, less emphasis was placed on personal adornment, in the 
early days. However, the days of the Empire showed increasing 
corruption and effeminacy, and the excavations at Pompeii have 
disclosed many signs of advanced stages of beauty culture, among 
men and women. 

Women had little power in early Greece and were kept strictly 



CLEOPATRA 







THE POWER OF BEAUTY IN HISTORY 


39 


secluded, but occasionally we bear of women of great beauty and 
power in political circles, whose standing socially was not that of 
the wives of the men whom they swayed. Foremost among these 
was Aspasia, the beautiful Ionian, who was loved by Pericles and 
who ruled Athens through him. She came as an adventuress to 
Athens and soon became a favorite among men of brilliance and 
wit. Her salons rivalled those of the French intellectuals, and 
Pericles would have doubtless made her his lawful wife, had he 
not had a wife already and had Aspasia not been “a foreigner.” 
The thinking men of the city clustered around her, and speedily 
the report spread that there was a nest of anarchy which must 
be destroyed. Probably, her beauty and power made her the 
envied of the other women, and evil tongues wagged unrestrained. 
She contributed much to the success of her lover, but she helped 
cause his downfall, through the very faculties which made her 
what she was, and caused her unpopularity among women and 
among men who hated Pericles. 

No woman of the era before Christ approached Cleopatra, the 
Serpent of the Nile, in beauty, and through beauty, power. A 
French philosopher has aptly said, a A fraction of an inch more 
on the end of Cleopatra’s nose would have changed the history 
of Rome and Egypt.” The daughter of the ruler of Egypt, she suc¬ 
ceeded jointly with her brother to the kingdom. A strange law 
of the land decreed that in spite of their relationship they should 
marry, but she refused to comply and there followed a struggle 
for supremacy to which Julius Caesar determined to put an end. 
He summoned the lovdly queen into his presence, and true to her 
nature, she planned a dramatic entrance. Exquisitely clad in 
gorgeous silks, she was rolled in a rug and carried into the pres¬ 
ence of Caesar. He, thinking a gift had been sent him, unrolled 
the rug and disclosed a lovely girl of twenty years. Then all real¬ 
ization of the purpose which had brought him to Egypt was lost 
and he fell a victim to her charms and wiles and lived the life of an 
Oriental potentate, losing all sense of proportion and of his des- 


40 


THE POWER OF BEAUTY IN HISTORY 


tiny in the atmosphere of suffocating luxury with which she en¬ 
meshed him. When he was recalled to Rome she followed him, 
hut the assassin’s knives defeated her purpose, and Caesar was 
eliminated from her scheme of things. Then came Antony, to 
whom had been alloted a third of the Empire, and she went to 
greet him in a gilded barge with sails of purple silk. She had 
placed naked girls at the oars, and chosen for pilots the loveliest 
girls in her kingdom. But she herself outrivalled them all, as she 
lay on a couch shaped like a great shell. At first sight Antony 
forgot everything but his love for her, and from that time until 
his death, he was her plaything and the toy of Fate. 

Many, many beautiful women lived and died in the centuries 
that followed, but certain names stand out among them all. Mary 
Queen of Scots was loved for her beauty and her fascination, but 
it was her misfortune to love in return only men who could not be 
worthy of her, and so her beauty brought only tragedy, and in the 
end a bloody death. Marie Antoinette, the wife of Louis XYI, 
could not hold the love of her people and was hated by her court, 
because she ridiculed their artificiality. A queen to the end, she 
gave her weak husband advice that in the perilous times of revo¬ 
lution was disastrous, but she was not as bad as opinion of the 
time would have her seem, and her loveliness deserved a kinder 
fate. Far more power than she ever wielded was held by favorites 
of the French court at the time she first came to Paris, the child 
wife of the dauphin. There was first of all the Marquise de Pom¬ 
padour, the reigning favorite of the old king, Louis XV, until her 
death. She was of lowly parentage, but her beauty even in child¬ 
hood made friends for her, and she was adopted by a rich farmer 
general and petted by the men who frequented the salons of the 
period. Early in her career, she determined to use her beauty for 
higher ends than mere conquests among the men of the court, and 
aimed for the king himself. To gain a fortune she married the 
joint heir to the fortune left by her foster-father, and simply used 
poor d’Etoile as a stepping-stone. After two years of striving, 



MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS 










THE POWER OF BEAUTY IN HISTORY 


43 


she met the king, only to be smiled upon and cast aside as were 
other women in the court. But a few weeks later, in a moment of 
boredom, the king allowed his valet to send for her, and from 
that time she never left Versailles until her death. Her charm 
was not wholly physical though she was very beautiful in her 
youth. She was a gifted actress and held the interest of the king 
by appearing one day as a simple shepherdess, another as a gay 
vivandiere, and yet again as a devout nun. She staged brilliant 
spectacles to please his jaded fancy. Her wit, her consummate 
skill in politics, and her beauty made her a great power at court. 

With her death, the king again sought for beauty, and found 
the lovely Jeanne Becu, another girl of lowly birth, who had served 
hs a milliner’s apprentice, but whose beauty had given her succes¬ 
sive triumphs and finally installed her as the presiding genius in 
the gambling halls of the Count du Barry. Lebel, the king’s valet, 
brought her to his master, as a passing whim, and she stayed until 
the death of the king. He married her to the brother of the Count 
du Barry, so as to give her a title, and she held the reins that 
death had taken from the Pompadour. 

All the beauties of this degenerate period in France were not 
women of this type, as is instanced by Madame Recamier. For 
her power, which was great in literary circles, she depended, how¬ 
ever, solely on her beauty, for she had neither wit, learning, nor 
political acumen. Her beauty was unequaled ,and had brought 
her fame from her earliest childhood. Friends of her parents had 
praised her until she was fully aware of her charm, and spent 
hours a day throughout her life in keeping her beauty from the 
ravages of time. There was a custom in the French court of peo¬ 
ple connected remotely with the court passing before the mon- 
archs at stated times. In one of these “reviews” a child of eleven 
attracted the attention of Marie Antoniette, and she was drawn 
aside and flattered and taken to the royal nurseries there to be 
compared with the Princess Royal. This child was later Madame 
Recamier. She married at an early age a man of forty-two, and 


44 


THE POWER OF BEAUTY IN HISTORY 


was true to him until tlie end, though rumor tried to couple her 
name in scandal with Chateaubriand. She was loved by many 
men of note,—Lucien Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte, Prince 
Augustus of Prussia, Chateaubriand, and others. A contempo¬ 
rary described her thus: “A figure flexible and elegant, a well- 
poised head; throat and shoulders of admirable form and propor¬ 
tions; beautiful arms, though somewhat small; a small, rosy 
mouth; black hair that curled naturally; a delicate, regular nose, 
but ‘bien Fran^ais’; an incomparable brilliancy of complexion; 
a frank, arch face rendered irresistibly lovely from its expression 
of goodness; a carriage slightly indicative of indolence and 
pride.” Her beauty faded very slowly, but in later life she is said 
to have answered flatterers “I do not deceive myself. From the 
moment I noticed the little Savoyards in the streets no longer 
turned to look at me, I knew all was over.” In these days, beauty 
alone could never wield the power she wielded, but then in her 
beauty lay her secret and no one knew it more than she herself. 

Living at the same period was another beautful woman who 
combined many other things with her beauty of face, and was a 
power beyond her small circle of friends. This was Queen Louise 
of Prussia. Her portrait has made her a familiar figure in many 
households. Richter, the portrait painter, said that he chose to 
depict her at the moment before her meeting with Napoleon at 
Tilsit to plead for Germany. No wonder her face looks sad. It is 
said that she wore the scarf around her throat to conceal a goiter. 
Be that as it may, her beauty was remarkable. Napoleon, after 
the interview, said of her: “I knew that I should see a beautiful 
woman and a queen with dignified manners, but I found the most 
admirable queen and at the same time the most interesting woman 
I had ever met.” She had married at the age of seventeen and, an 
unusual thing among royalty, the marriage was a love match. 
She shared everything with her husband, rode with him when he 
reviewed his troops, and took field with the army. She was very 
democratic and adored by her people. A charming story is told 



QUEEN LOUISE—BY GUSTAV RICHTER 




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THE POWER OF BEAUTY IN HISTORY 


47 


of her encounter with a simple woman in a toy shop. The woman 
stepped back but she said, “Ho not leave! What would our shop¬ 
keepers think of us if we caused a falling off in their trade?” 
Later, on finding that the woman was buying a toy for a child the 
age of her son she gave her a toy with the message, “Give this to 
your crown prince from my crown prince.” Her charm and beauty 
made so great an impression on Napoleon that Talleyrand feared 
she would undermine his decisions, and warned his master against 
her, thus preventing Napoleon from granting Prussia the leniency 
she desired. When Prussia was reduced to poverty she sold her 
jewels to pay the indemnity, and endeared herself to the people 
yet more. 

Italy has not so many famous names as France in the ranks 
of beauty, but a few stand out preeminently. There was Simonetta, 
the enchantress of early Florence, whose beauty was the envy of 
all women and the despair of all artists. Her feet are said to have 
been so exquisitely proportioned that casts made from them are 
still to be seen in famous Italian art galleries. The Countess de 
Castiglione was so wonderfully beautiful that she was sent from 
Florence to France that she might win freedom for Italy from 
Napoleon III. Contemporary writers describe her as a fascinating 
brunette with “hair of the softest, richest brown.” Her feet were 
immortalized in poetry and art and it is said that her lovers and 
friends used to beg her to remove her stockings and expose her 
feet that they might worship their loveliness. Mona Lisa has al¬ 
ways been more or less of a mystery, and her strange portrait has 
raised endless whisperings of her uncanny charm and power. It 
seems she made a habit of collecting hearts, although she herself 
was cold and untouched by passion, and depended on her marvel¬ 
ous beauty to win the love of men. A Florentine painter has left 
expression of his love in the famous portrait, whose sinister fas¬ 
cination seems to lie in the dark, heavy lidded eyes. Beauty seems 
to have inspired wonderful things in art and literature, and 
Dante’s “Inferno” might never have been written had it not been 
3 


48 


THE POWER OF BEAUTY IN HISTORY 


for his hopeless love for Beatrice. The Florentines worshiped 
beauty in their women, but nowhere else was beauty so vital an 
asset as in France, and one is tempted to mention a dozen other 
names in this account of famous beauties. Two more, however, 
must be included. 

Ninon de Lenclos, who lived in seventeenth-century France, 
kept her beauty until her death at over ninety. Strange to say, 
she never inspired jealousy in other women, though throughout 
her life she was loved by men, and she herself did not envy others 
their youth and beauty. The only sign of age, which she permitted 
was the snowy whiteness of her hair. “Wrinkles,” she declared, 
“should be relegated to an unseen position, such as the one wMch 
the gods of paganism had chosen in which to hide Achilles’ weak¬ 
ness.” She seemed to possess the secret of eternal youth, and it is 
told of her that when she was over eighty a youth fell so madly in 
love with her that, on finding that his love was not returned, he 
rushed forth and attempted suicide. Her biographers speak of 
various means she employed to preserve her beauty, and it is well 
known that she wore a metal mask at night, and that she regularly 
practised certain exercises. So when you are tempted to proclaim 
that there is no use in trying to ward off old age, remember Ninon. 

Far different in her attitude towards other women was Paul¬ 
ine Bonaparte, the fascinating younger sister of Napoleon Bona¬ 
parte. She cared for nothing but her own beauty and the power 
she could exercise over men of the court because of that beauty. 
Lovers were hers in plenty, and her exquisite complexion, her bril¬ 
liant eyes, her Grecian perfection of profile, and her beautifully 
molded chin were the favorite toasts of the day. Not only did she 
possess undoubted loveliness but she dressed so beautifully that 
other women hated to appear with her. She was one of the initia¬ 
tors of the fashion of wearing hair low over the ears, and the 
story is told that she did it as a result of overhearing a conversa¬ 
tion in regard to her own ears. She was at a brilliant reception, 
and knowing that she outshone every other woman there, she ar- 



MONA LISA—BY LEONARDO DA VINCI 









. 










































0 





















































THE POWER OF BEAUTY IN HISTORY 


51 


ranged herself where she was the center of admiration. Suddenly 
her satisfaction was rudely shattered by hearing one woman of 
the court say to another, “’Tis a pity that Pauline’s beauty is 
spoiled by such homely ears.” She was carried from the room in 
hysterics and ever after hid her ears under her hair. She died at 
the age of forty-four, and her last request was for a mirror. Gaz¬ 
ing into it, she exclaimed, “I am not afraid to die. I am still 
beautiful.” 

Perhaps it was that the English courts never sank to the degra¬ 
dation of the French, or perhaps the position of women gave them 
a chance to gain power in other ways than through their beauty, 
but certainly it is true that we hear less of the English beauties 
than of the French. The English court was at its lowest point 
during the reign of Charles II, who with his Restoration brought 
back from France the decadence of the French court and insti¬ 
tuted many of their customs and much of their lax morality. He 
surrounded himself with beautiful women and showered upon 
them jewels and gifts of great value, but quickly tired of them all. 
There lived in London at this time a girl named Nell Gwynn, who 
had been brought up in the slums of the city and had sold oranges 
in the theatre. Then she became an actress, and at length, as was 
expected in those days of low morality, gained the wealth she de¬ 
sired as the mistress of Lord Buckhurst. From there it was an 
easy step to attract the attention of the king, and until his death 
she was his favorite. In dying, he spoke her name alone of all 
the women he had loved, and she was true to him, not only through 
his life but after his death. Famed for her beauty, she deserves 
real credit for her wit, her good humor, and her boundless charity. 
Instead of taking the king’s gifts for herself she showered them 
on the poor and endowed institutions throughout the city. For 
her children she demanded rights and recognition. The story goes 
that the king had refused this request and shortly afterwards was 
riding by the house where she lived. Nell leaned out from the 
window, holding her son in her arms, and before all the courtiers 


52 


THE POWER OF BEAUTY IN HISTORY 


demanded recognition and a title for lier son, or else she threat¬ 
ened to dash him to pieces on the stones below. The king, before 
these witnesses, gave him the title of the Duke of St. Albans and 
to this day the descendants of Nell Gwynn hold that title and the 
lands that go with it. 

The annals of beauty make a sordid story, but we must remem¬ 
ber that the attitude of the past centuries was not what it is 
to-day, and that, to women born as many of these were born, 
beauty and a lax code of morals formed the only road to power. 
Beauty brought more beauty into the world through art and liter¬ 
ature, and many of these women were good as well as beautiful, 
and used their power for the betterment of humanity. Now that 
women have so much else in their lives, the worship of beauty 
seems futile, where it is an end in itself, but women are coming 
to a realization that beauty, with other things, is not a possession 
to be scorned, and that every woman has the right to beauty, and 
to the power that beauty gives. 



MADAME DE RECAMIER—BY FRANCOIS GERARD 







































































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PART I 

THE FIGURE 




























BREATHING EXERCISE FOR CHEST EXPANSION 

(See Page 63) 





































































































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CHAPTER I 


EXERCISE 


B EAUTY cannot be said to belong to one thing alone, the 
face, the expression, the figure, or the clothes; it is a thing 
of varied phases and to achieve true beauty one must de¬ 
velop to the full each of its elements. When man confined woman 
to a state of comparative physical inactivity as a symbol of his 
sense of property in her, the face became the foremost element 
in beauty. But to-day, with women taking their places in the 
world beside men, the other elements count equally, both for 
beauty and for efficiency, for just as health is a necessary basis 
for beauty, so beauty, in its fullest sense, is indicative of well 
rounded development, a development that is conducive to the 
highest efficiency. Showing this side of the woman more than 
any other, the figure forms the fundamental basis for feminine 
beauty. By the time she reaches middle age the woman, whether 
she is in the home or the field of business, is apt to be in a rut, 
mentally and physically. Overwork and overstrain react on the 
mind and the body. This shows in the face, the expression, the 
figure, and the clothes. But the figure, as the basic element, is 
the best point of attack, and the best method is through health¬ 
ful living. A large order, you say. Perhaps, but it narrows 
down to a few main principles, discussed in the previous chapter, 
and of these rules of healthful living, those governing exercise 
are of tangible value. They can be put down in black and white, 
first of all those rules of exercise governing general health, then 
those affecting posture and action, and lastly those controlling 
the normal proportions of the figure. 

These phases are so closely allied that it is hard to differen- 

59 


60 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


tiate or to draw a line too sharpty between them. Exercise is 
essential to health. It keeps you in fit condition more than any 
other one thing, and can be taken with least effort and greatest 
pleasure. If your work allows it, take your exercise in any way 
that is most enjoyable—nothing is better for you than walking, 
provided you do not hamper yourself by tight clothes and swing 
along at a brisk pace. Athletics, including riding, swimming, 
and dancing, are invaluable. If your day is too full, try to take 
a walk in the early morning. At first you may find it hard to 
get out of bed, but when once you have established the habit, 
you will enjoy it far more than a few minutes cat-napping. If, 
however, you live in the city, and cannot get your exercise in any 
natural out-door way, there are exercises that will take only ten 
or fifteen minutes of your day, and work miracles in your well¬ 
being. On waking is the best time, but if that is not feasible, 
the time that is best for you will answer the purpose. Be system¬ 
atic and conscientious. Don’t rush through the exercises. Keep 
your mind on what you are doing, and you will save time in the 
end. 

Exercise not only keeps a healthy person in the pink of con¬ 
dition, but acts as a medicine for many ills. Stomach and 
intestinal troubles are frequently due to relaxing of the muscles, 
and are cured by proper exercises. Certain forms of heart trouble 
are in reality the result of poor circulation, not the cause of it, 
and exercises of the right kind prove beneficent in many cases 
where doctors fail. The simplest kind of setting-up exercises 
enlarge the thoracic cavity and give more lung space, help head¬ 
aches, constipation, and backaches. Proper muscular develop¬ 
ment, especially of the abdominal muscles, is a cure for most of 
the troubles peculiar to women. 

Correct breathing is essential for all forms of exercise. 
Insist on plenty of fresh air in your home or office, and try to 
get at least two hours of outdoor air. Avoid tight corseting— 
a warning that is not so necessary now as it was a few years ago. 



EXERCISE FOR IMPROVING CARRIAGE 


(See Page 67) 






EXERCISE 


63 


The old theory that women breathed differently than men through 
some peculiarity in their physical make-up has long since been 
disproved, for it was tight corseting alone that was responsible 
for the high-chest breathing. I can remember as a small child 
watching a neighbor in church, fascinated by her breathing, feel¬ 
ing my own abdominal breathing with regret, and wondering 
how old I had to be to breathe as she did. But now women 
realize that, like men, they should breathe with an up-and-down 
motion of the diaphragm, consequent expansion and contraction 
of the abdomen, and a slight motion of the lower ribs. Deep 
breathing is of value chiefly as an exercise of the chest muscles. 
One cannot store up breath for future reference, but exercising 
the chest muscles increases your expansion. The normal expan¬ 
sion of a woman should be three inches. If it is less than two 
it is bad, and exercises should be taken to increase it at once. 
To measure your chest expansion force all the air out of your 
lungs, measure snugly below the busts, then expand to full ca¬ 
pacity and measure again. If your chest expansion is under two 
inches, combine the following exercises with your regular mus¬ 
cular exercises, and you will find that not only will your chest 
muscles develop but your carriage will be greatly improved at the 
same time: 

1. Stand with your feet together and } r our arms held a little 
away from your sides. Raise your arms sidewaj^s and upwards 
until they are extended full length above the head. Inhale slowly 
so that your fullest capacity is reached when the arms are at the 
highest point. Bring arms down slowly, exhaling rapidly. Re¬ 
peat ten or fifteen times (See illustration). 

2. Take a deep breath while raising the arms forward and 
over the head. Then exhale while bending forward from the hips, 
keeping knees and elbows stiff, until finger tips touch the floor. 
Inhale and raise the arms again above the head, and repeat the 
exercise. 

Correct breathing is a habit, and once formed will stand you 


64 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


in good stead through life and will be a big step towards preserv¬ 
ing your youth and beauty. In all the exercises prescribed, be sure 
to breathe correctly. To make the exercises more beneficial, take 
them before an open window, or in a room not warmer than 60 
degrees, and wear little or no clothing during the process. 

Morning is the best time to take your exercises, and at the 
same time, I agree with you that morning is the hardest time to 
make yourself do anything active—that is, the first thing in the 
morning. Try these energizing exercises before you get out of 
bed. Even if you don’t follow them by muscle-building exercises, 
you will find that you get up feeling more like tackling the day’s 
work. 

1. Breathe deeply two or three times. 

2. Extend the right foot, spread toes apart; inhale, 1, 2, 3; 
exhale, 1,2,3; relax. Repeat with left foot. 

3. Stretch right leg from thigh, inhale, 1,2,3,; exhale, 1,2,3; 
relax. Repeat with left leg. 

4. Go through same process with right hand, arm, shoulder; 
repeat left. 

5. Expand chest, 1, 2, 3. 

6. Expand abdomen, 1, 2, 3. 

7. Stretch entire body. 

The value of the regular 1,2,3, count is that it gives a rhythm 
to the process which is in itself beneficial. Work out your own 
scheme. There is no magic in this count, but always try to do 
your exercises to some rhythm. They will do you more good and 
you will find you enjoy them more, for every person is by nature 
rhythmical in a greater or less degree 

Having taken your “energizing exercises” don’t turn over and 
go to sleep again. Get up, take a cold bath (if you have no organic 
trouble which makes it dangerous), and then go through your 
regular drill—setting-up exercises or exercises for some specific 
purpose. This is the ideal, but if you can’t fit them in then, do 
them later. Don’t neglect them altogether. For simple exercises 



FORWARD SWEEP OF BACK BENDING MOVEMENT 

(See Page 68) 




EXERCISE 


67 


the famous “Daily Dozen/’ evolved by Walter Camp for use in the 
army are inimitable. They use all the muscles of the trunk; they 
make a corset of muscles around your waist; they give more 
room for your lungs; they improve your shoulder, back, and chest 
muscles and make it possible to wear the lowest of low-cut evening 
gowns; they will give you the vigor and beauty of good health. 
The names of the movements are alliterative, to facilitate mem¬ 
ory: Hands, hips, head. Grind, grate, grasp. Crawl, curl, 
crouch. Wave, weave, wing. Start with six repetitions, work up 
to ten. They will take but ten minutes of your day, and give you 
enough surplus strength to make up that ten minutes many times 
over.* 

It is impossible to state just what proportions constitute the 
“ideal form,” that elusive dream of sculptors of Ancient Greece 
and the present day. The far-famed Venus de Milo assuredly 
could not fill the role from our present-day standpoint. The Venus 
de Medici more nearly approximates it, and a diagram of com¬ 
parative measurements gives a general idea of what you should 


strive to attain: Venus de Medici College Girl 

Average 

Height . 5 ft. 3 in. 5 ft. 3.2 in. 

Weight . 119.4 lbs. 

Neck . 12.3 in. 12.2 in. 

Chest, normal . 33.6 in. 28.8 in. 

Expanded . 31.4 in. 

Waist . 27.3 in. 24.6 in. 

Hips. 36.6 in. 35.2 in. 

Thigh. 21.1 in. 21.6 in. 

Calf . 13.8 in. 13.3 in. 

Ankle. 8.2 in. 8.1 in. 

Upper Arm . 11.4 in. 10.6 in. 

Forearm . 10.6 in. 8.6 in. 

Wrist . 6.5 in. 6.0 in. 


Some of these measurements may not fall in line with your 
own ideal, but at any rate they will give you a basis for compari- 

* Directions for the Daily Dozen may be bought for ten cents from The Reynolds Publishing 
Company, New York City. 
















68 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


son and show you where you need development. General exercise 
and a normal life as regards diet and sleep will do wonders un¬ 
aided, but for speedy results you must help Nature by sustained 
efforts, especially if you have allowed yourself to become run 
down, nervous, or fat. That you may see how you are improving, 
you should use the following test exercises at stated intervals, 
and mark the increase in facility and strength. They are too 
strenuous for daily use: 

1. THE CHINNING TEST 

By chinning is meant pulling up the weight of the body with 
the arms. It tests the muscles of the upper arm, and of the front 
and back of the shoulders and chest. A simple apparatus may be 
arranged by placing a bar in your own room, from bed to window, 
or anywhere at such a height that you can just reach it with your 
hands when sitting on the floor. Sit with your knees drawn up 
towards your chest and your feet flat on the floor. Then draw 
yourself up to the pole, using only your arms. As your strength 
increases you will find that you can do this without supporting 
any weight with your feet, and gradually even with your legs ex¬ 
tended and your knees straight. 

2. THE “PUSH UP” EXERCISE 

This exercise is also done with the arms and tests the opposite 
set of muscles in arms, chest, and back. Stand a little distance 
from the wall, throw yourself forward at an angle, supporting 
yourself with your hands against the wall, elbows bent. 
Straighten yourself by straightening out the arms. To make this 
a little more difficult, throw your body forward on the toes, the 
hands resting on a bench, arms bent. Raise your whole weight 
from the bench by straightening out your arms. 

3. BACK-BENDING EXERCISE 

The muscles of the back are tested by this exercise, which will 
afford relief from fatigue of the back, resulting from a cramped 



END OF FORWARD SWEEP OF BACK BENDING MOVEMENT 

(See Page 71> 


























































































•4 






















































EXERCISE 


71 


position. Raise the arms above the head, keeping the elbows 
straight (See illustrations). Sweep them forward and down until 
they touch the floor in front of the toes. You may not be able to 
do this at first without bending the knees, but bend them as little 
as possible, and gradually you will find that you do not need to 
bend them at all. Let me caution you against extreme efforts in 
any exercise affecting the back. 

4. ABDOMINAL EXERCISE 
The muscles of the abdomen are, perhaps, more important 
than any others, because of their function in supporting and 
strengthening the vital organs. Lie flat on the back, then holding 
the arms out in front of the chest, rise slowly to a sitting position, 
keeping the legs down. Finish with a forward reach, bending the 
body from the hips. 

5. THIGH EXERCISE 

The muscles of the thigh are so strong that, though the exer¬ 
cise consumes more energy than the others, you need not fear that 
fatigue is a symptom of overstrain. The illustration shows the 
squatting position, hands on hips, knees bent so that the thigh 
forms a right angle with the trunk, heels raised, one foot slightly 
ahead of the other to help the balance. Rise to a standing posi¬ 
tion, then crouch again, and keep this up at a moderate rate until 
you are exhausted. After sufficient practice you might try raising 
the body with the muscles of first one thigh and then the other. 

6. RISING-ON-TOES EXERCISE 
This exercise tests the muscles of the calf and the front of the 
leg. It consists simply of rising on the toes, or more accurately 
the balls of the feet, first with both feet, then with one foot, bal¬ 
ancing yourself by placing the instep of the free foot against the 
ankle of the other. When you come down raise your toes from 
the ground, to bring the front muscles into play. 

No matter what your occupation, health is essential to its per- 


72 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


formance and to your happiness and beauty. If health can be ob¬ 
tained through exercise it is your duty to build it up and keep it 
up to par. If you are going to recline for the rest of your life it is 
just as well for everybody concerned that that life be short, but 
if you are going to lead a useful life study the ways to get the 
most out of life that you can. All that you do consumes energy— 
standing expends 40 per cent, more than reclining, walking adds 
100 per cent., vigorous sports multiply this three or four times. 
To concentrate the benefit of exercise in the shortest time, the 
exercise must be heavy and all your efforts must be concentrated 
on it. But whether you are going in for heavy exercise or not, 
you want to have the carriage that is, next to form, the greatest 
factor of a beautiful body. 

Carriage involves two things, posture and action. Health and 
beauty are again linked closely with the position of the spine. 
From the side of health there are endless troubles resulting from 
bad posture. In the first place it puts undue strain on muscles 
and ligaments and dislocates the organs. Then it causes nervous 
troubles, resulting from dislocations of the spinal column, which 
is the seat of most of the nerves of the body. Incorrect posture is 
so common that many people do not recognize correct posture 
when they see it. The sagging abdomen, the relaxed chest, the 
drooping head—are we not all only too familiar with it? The 
popular “debutante slouch” of a few years ago laid its stamp on 
too many of the younger generation to be eradicated even by so 
potent a factor as a change of fashion. 

To test your own posture stand with your side to a mirror, 
hold a pole vertical with the base of the pole even with the ball of 
your foot. The pole should be directly in line with the ear, should 
pass about one inch in front of the juncture of the arm and the 
shoulder, and pass about one-third of the way back from the front 
of the waist and from the front of the knee. The spine cannot and 
should not be straight. The natural position is the right one, it 
gives you your greatest height, and throws the body into the 



EXERCISE FOR THIGH MUSCLES 


(See Page 72) 



EXEECISE 


75 


proper position. Straighten your spine so that it takes its normal 
curves and your chest will be raised without further effort. A 
simple rule that will help you keep this position is to hold the head 
up, chin back and slightly in. You cannot be “round-shouldered” 
if you do this. High-heeled shoes tend to ruin your posture. Keep 
them for special “dress-up” occasions, and wear low, square heels. 
Your posture will improve, your backaches will disappear. 

Action is not so easy to adjust as posture. It is a matter of 
the mind as well as the body, and unconsciousness is essential to 
true grace. But certain exercises will help by giving you mus¬ 
cular control, and with control comes unconsciousness, once that 
control becomes a habit. A series of simple exercises follows, and 
through these you will be able to correct your faults of posture 
and at the same time gain in muscular control. 

1. WINDMILL EXEECISE 

This exercise improves the carriage and the waistline, de¬ 
velops the shoulders and stimulates the circulation. Stand with 
your feet fairly close together and your toes pointing in one direc¬ 
tion. Hold your arms in horizontal position, with right hand fol¬ 
lowing the line of the toes, and the left outstretched behind. Begin 
circling motion from the waist, holding arms out from the body. 
The right hand goes down towards your toes, the left goes back 
and high up over the head. Continue until left hand points in di¬ 
rection toes are pointing and right hand takes position of left at 
start. Continue this circling motion slowly until you get used to 
it, when you can increase your speed (See illustrations). 

2. BENDING EXEECISE 

Suppleness is extremely desirable for true grace of carriage, 
and the muscles of the waist are aided by the exercise shown in 
the illustration. With hands on hips, bend backward, then for¬ 
ward, then alternately right and left. Then try this standing on 
one foot, allowing the free foot to swing with the motion of the 
body, backward when the body goes forward and vice versa. 


76 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


Stand with arms straight out from shoulders, bring clenched fists 
back to shoulders, then out (See illustration). 

3. TOE CIRCLE EXERCISE 

An exercise which makes for poise and grace and at the same 
time helps the muscles of the back, the waist, and the legs is this : 
Stand with feet a few inches apart and hands on hips; stretch 
right foot forward, keeping toe to the floor; describe a full semi¬ 
circle as far as you can reach. Reverse and use other foot. This 
is of great value in adjusting balance to shifting weight. 

The question of carriage is one that is met by young girls and 
middle-aged women. These exercises will be found very helpful 
and if persisted in will bring the desired results. Of the “Daily 
Dozen,” certain ones are particularly adapted to this problem. 
For young girls the Grind and the Grate will be found helpful in 
straightening the shoulders, the Curl in strengthening the waist 
muscles, and the Wave in giving suppleness. For middle-aged 
women the Grate, the Curl, the Wave, and the Wing are the ones 
best suited to their needs. 

A great many people feel that exercising results in reducing 
weight. This is not necessarily the case. A normal amount of 
exercise is essential to normal health, normal health means nor¬ 
mal weight. Consequently, if you are under-weight proper ex¬ 
ercise will increase your weight, not by adding fat but by 
strengthening your constitution, giving you a better appetite 
for your meals, developing your muscles, and making you nor¬ 
mal. The same thing works in the other direction but with 
a difference. If the fat is the result of over-eating, the question 
of diet must enter in and the appetite resulting from the exercise 
controlled or satisfied along rigid lines. But the exercising in 
itself reduces the excess fat and brings about a normal condition. 
All of these exercises, discussed up to this point, tend towards 
establishing normality. Special exercises, either for development 
or reduction, have been worked out with great care by people 



WINDMILL EXERCISE A 


(See Page 75) 

















EXERCISE 


79 


who have studied the subject from all angles. But remember, 
reduction depends on a correlation between exercise and diet, 
and the chapter on diet should be studied with great care. The 
exercises designed for reduction should be done rapidly and fol¬ 
lowed by a warm bath and a cold sponge off. If a sweater is worn 
the process is frequently shortened. First of all, before approach¬ 
ing that all-engrossing subject of reduction, let us see what exer¬ 
cises are designed for localized development. 

SPECIALIZED EXERCISES FOR DEVELOPMENT 

A flat, undeveloped condition of the bust is quite easily reme¬ 
died. Massage with cocoa butter or olive oil in this way:—take 
a stroke firmly upward, then follow it by a gentle rotary move¬ 
ment with the chief pressure up. Alternate applications of hot 
and cold water before the massage helps a flat condition. A good 
exercise is illustrated on another page. Stand straight, with heels 
together and arms raised perpendicularly. Lower arms to sides, 
then raise. Then place your hands around your waistline, fingers 
forward. Pressing in with your hands, tip elbows forward. Both 
these exercises use the muscles of the upper chest, not the arm 
muscles, as you would suppose. Repeat each part of the exercise 
until tired. 

The muscles of the neck for full development need several 
kinds of exercises. Lie flat on your back on the couch with your 
head hanging over. Bring head up and over until chin touches 
chest. This develops muscles along the front of the neck. Reverse 
the position, so that you are lying face downward. Raise your 
head backward and upward as far as you can. The muscles at 
the back of the neck are developed. Then stand and twist head 
from side to side, to develop the side muscles (See illustration). 
Bend head forward against resistance of palms of both hands. 
Interlace hands and put them behind the head. Bend head back. 
Place right palm at temple and bend to right; repeat left. Follow 
this by a relaxing rotary movement of the head—back, forward, 
4 


80 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 

left, back, right, front, repeated five times. Breathe deeply, rise 
on toes, force breath against the neck muscles, hold, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 
exhale, at the same time coming down on heels. Finish the treat¬ 
ment by a light rotary massage movement. If you have washed 
the neck with warm water and soap, and worked in a small quan¬ 
tity of cold cream, you will find the treatment even more effective. 

Nothing is more unattractive than scraggy shoulders, and 
this can be materially helped by exercising the arms, for the mus¬ 
cles that move the upper arm are in the shoulders. Stand erect, 
chest forward, arms stretched out in front of you with hands 
clenched and palms up. Keeping arms close to side bend elbows 
and draw arms backwards as far as possible (See illustration). 
Raise arms over head, then bend elbows, bringing arms down close 
to side. Another exercise for developing the shoulders and the 
upper arms requires a rather difficult and tiring position—leaning 
back and supporting the body with the hands resting on a bench. 
First, sway the body from side to side; then bend the elbows low¬ 
ering the body and raising it again. 

The development of the muscles in the legs is a very simple 
matter. Ordinary sports, walking, and dancing are usually 
enough for normal development. Going up and down stairs on 
the balls of the feet develops the calf muscles. Simple home exer¬ 
cises such as running in place, raising the knees alternately, 
swinging the leg, forward, back, side, will be found helpful. 

The importance of proper development of the abdominal mus¬ 
cles has already been stressed and several of the exercises given 
for general development are particularly good for this purpose, 
such as all bending exercises, rising to a sitting position with the 
feet held down, and twisting the body from the waist. Additional 
simple exercises such as high kicking, (See illustration) rotating 
the legs alternately while lying flat on the back, and raising the 
legs to a perpendicular position when lying on the back, are very 
effective. These exercises are equally good for reducing purposes, 


BENDING EXERCISE FOR WAIST MUSCLES AND CARRIAGE 

( T3o o-i 









































































EXERCISE 


83 


for they eliminate unnecessary fat, and bring about the normal 
condition. 

Thin cheeks show age before anything else and there are 
simple massage methods which help fill out the hollows. Wash 
the face with warm water and pure soap, apply a small quantity 
of cold cream with gentle rotary motions, always tending up and 
back from the upper lip and the corners of the mouth to the tem¬ 
poral muscles. Then remove the superfluous cream. With the 
tip of the index fingers press lightly and quickly over the whole 
surface of the cheek. The vibrations so caused stimulate the 
skin. Then inflate the cheeks and stroke upward from five to ten 
times, covering the entire cheek in the following manner—corner 
of mouth to ear, corner of nose to temples over cheek bones, side 
of chin up to ears, finishing with a rotary motion in front of ears. 

SPECIAL EXERCISES FOR REDUCTION 

In addition to the exercises already cited as being beneficial 
for reducing, there are a great many specialized exercises for re¬ 
ducing flesh in particular parts of the body. Of these a few will 
suffice. Before reducing, it is advisable to consult your physician. 
He may find that severe exercising would be harmful and pre¬ 
scribe a modified form. This, of course, would not apply to exer¬ 
cises such as the following for reducing fat around the neck. 

A double chin is one of the trials of the woman who is just 
beginning to grow stout, and it is well to take it in hand in the 
early stages. Loosen your collar, if you wear one, and put your 
head well back and go through a chewing motion ten or twelve 
times, of course, exaggerated beyond the normal many times. A 
massage roll is useful, but if you have none, put a little cocoa 
butter on the finger tips and massage from the point of the chin 
downward to the neck. Finish by rubbing the chin with a lump 
of ice about the size of a walnut, or by patting it with cold water 
if the ice is not available. 

The twisting exercises for strengthening the muscles of the 


84 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


neck also reduce unnecessary fat. If the shoulders and back of 
the neck are fat try the following exercise: Place the fingers on 
the points of the shoulders and rotate the shoulders in a circle,— 
high, backwards, down, forward, up. Dumb-bells or flatirons may 
be used in certain exercises for reducing flesh across the shoul¬ 
ders. Stand with hands at sides, holding dumb-bells, bring back 
as far as possible. Repeat until tired. For reduction of the fore¬ 
arm there is a simple exercise that may be tried anywhere and at 
any time. Clench your fists tight and revolve on the wrists until 
they ache. 

For bust reduction try these exercises: Stand erect with 
hands on hips. Move elbows backwards until they meet. Then 
stretch arms in front of the chest, palms together, raise above 
the head, stretching, move back, then slowly forward Many of 
the exercises already described are good for this purpose. Of the 
“Daily Dozen” the Grasp, Curl, Crawl, Crouch, Wave, and Weave 
will be particularly helpful for reducing weight. 

No exercises for reducing the hips can improve upon those 
described in the thigh exercises, the toe circle exercise, and the 
back-bending exercise. Rolling has been the subject of many a 
joke, but is undeniably effective for reducing the hips. Lie at full 
length, with legs close together and arms straight up over head. 
Roll completely over, at least ten times. Reverse your direction 
often enough not to get dizzy. 

The present mode for short skirts has exposed many un¬ 
sightly ankles to the public view, and the chances are that skirts 
will not cover them again for many a long day. A series of 
simple exercises, performed at least once a day, will in a very few 
weeks reduce large ankles. Repeat each exercise five times, with 
each foot. Stretch foot out, spreading out toes and drawing them 
together. Then point toes down, bending from the ankle; then up, 
out, in. Then holding the knee with clasped hands, rotate foot 
from the ankle, not from the knee. Similar exercises will reduce 
large wrists. 



EXERCISE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE NECK 


(See Page 79) 

























•* ( 
































































CHAPTER II 


DIET 

T OO much emphasis cannot be laid on the importance of gen¬ 
eral health to beauty. Have you not all heard it said, “She is 
exquisite but so frail,” or words to that effect? Paleness, 
dark circles under the eyes, puffy lids, excessive thinness—do any 
of these add in any way to beauty? They are all the results of ill 
health, and no one thing has more to do with ill health than diet. 
The relation of diet and exercise is so close, both as regards gen¬ 
eral health and figure, that it is hard to draw any drastic line 
between them. Appetite is essential to proper diet, exercise prac¬ 
tically controls appetite. Digestion resolves itself into a question 
of the proper assimilation of food, and this in turn depends on 
exercise. If you do not use up the excess tissue formed by eating 
in exercise, it stores itself away as fat, and fat of an unhealthy 
kind. Muscular tissue is essential to well-rounded development 
and can be grown only by a combination of exercise and sufficient 
nourishment. Fatty tissue is grown by food alone. 

If you are in normal health your appetite is a good indicator 
of what you should eat. Do not force yourself to eat. Frequently, 
when there is a slight disorder, nature proclaims a fast by taking 
away your appetite. Wait then until the next meal and you will 
avoid trouble. Unless you exercise constantly and in a violent 
manner two meals are probably enough for you anyhow. The 
majority of people eat far too much, and the best arrangement 
of meals, for your health’s sake, would be a late breakfast and 
an early dinner. This, however, would not be feasible in most 
households, and if this is the case try fruit in the morning, lunch 
at noon, and the heavy meal in the evening, and you will feel better 

87 


88 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


for it. At first you will find your stomach rebelling—it has formed 
a habit of having food three times a day and the morning fruit 
does not suffice. A few days will establish the new habit and you 
will not want to go back to the old method. Do not eat between 
meals, unless you are trying to gain weight. Do most of your 
drinking between meals, for though it is not unhealthy to drink 
with your meals, it is hard to avoid drinking to wash down your 
food, and this results in insufficient mastication, a sure road to 
indigestion. 

In choosing your food avoid complicated mixtures with hot 
or highly seasoned dressings, pastries of a rich kind, and greasy 
foods. Simple salads, with lemon juice substituted for vinegar in 
the dressing, plenty of fruit and green vegetables, plain whole¬ 
some foods, meat not more than once a day, desserts such as fruit, 
rice or tapioca puddings, simple cake, ice cream, dates, nuts, figs 
and raisins, honey, pure candies and fruit, and, to take the place 
of meat at noon, fish, dishes made of nuts, cheese, eggs, or vege¬ 
tables—these comprise a diet at once palatable and nourishing. 
Do not drink tea or coffee in excess, fruit juices form a delightful 
and much more wholesome substitute, and chocolate is at the same 
time stimulating and nourishing. If you have a tendency towards 
indigestion, you will find yourself much benefited by omitting 
from your diet rich soups, veal, pork, hashes, fried foods, pickled, 
potted or smoked meats or fish, hot breads, pastries, candy, rich 
cheeses, nuts, bananas, ice water, and alcoholic drinks of any 
kind. 

Constipation is one of the greatest hindrances to good health 
and beauty, and in diet and exercise lies the best cure. Medicines 
form only a temporary relief, not a cure. Bread is, probably, the 
one food that bears the greatest responsibility for constipation. 
Avoid white bread and substitute whole wheat, brown, or corn 
bread. Bran muffins are delicious, and very effective in prevent¬ 
ing constipation. If not used in the form of muffins, bran can be 
boiled until it is the consistency of corn meal cereal, and eaten as 



EXERCISE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE ABDOMINAL MUSCLES 
AND MUSCLES OF LEGS 

















DIET 


91 


a cereal, or it may be sprinkled over cereal. Apples, prunes, and 
to a lesser extent, oranges, are mild laxatives. Honey and maple 
syrup help a good many people. The Japanese seaweed, sold as 
agar-agar, or agar, is a substitute for bran, and as the constant 
use of bran is very trying, this might alternate with it. Mineral 
oils are used by some instead of olive oil in mayonnaise. With 
any form of diet that you adopt, exercise is all-important. It 
strengthens the muscles of the abdominal region, and any of the 
exercises for that purpose will prove helpful in curing constipa¬ 
tion. Long walks are frequently sufficient cure. 

A general rule for a healthy normal diet is to eat from 10 
to 15 per cent protein, 25 to 30 per cent fat, and 60 to 65 per cent, 
carbohydrate. The following table shows the classes into which 
the main foods fall. Do not overeat proteins. A balanced diet 
is a healthy diet: 


Proteins .Eggs, milk, meat, cheese, fowl, fish, nuts, gluten of wheat, 

legumes (beans, peas, etc.). 

Fats .Cream, butter, lard, oils, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, chocolate. 

Carbohydrates . .Sugars, starches, vegetable fibre. 

Mineral ........ Outer coating of grains, fruits, vegetables; animal food and 

their products. 

Water .Three to five pints a day. 

Vitamines .Animal fats, outer coatings of grain, fruit, and vegetables, 

milk, butter, meat, eggs. 


In selecting the foods that make up a balanced diet, include 
in your main headings those foods that will supply mineral and 
vitamines to the system. Proteins are necessary and do not vary 
with exercise. Divide your proteins between the animal and vege¬ 
table kingdom. Any other food eaten beyond what you need for 
energy, growth, and repair is fattening or an irritant. 

DIET TO INCKEASE WEIGHT 
Before deciding whether it is necessary to increase or reduce 
weight, be sure that it is necessary to make any change. A rule 
has been worked out by medical authorities for determining the 
ideal weight. Multiply the number of inches over five feet in 







92 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


height by 5% and add 110; multiply the number of inches under 
live feet by 5% and subtract from 110. Example:— 

5 feet 5 inches 5 x 5 y 2 — 27}4 

+ 110 

137 >4 

This weight is for mature women, girls naturally are less 
developed and need not consider themselves underweight unless 
they are quite far below the ideal weight. Allow from three to five 
pounds for clothing, depending on the season. 

As a basis for a gaining-weight program, the following rules 
should be carefully observed and followed: 

Exercise frequently, but not for too long at a time or in 
too energetic a way. 

Relax and rest during the day. 

Sleep as many hours as possible, making eight hours a mini¬ 
mum. 

Masticate thoroughly. 

If underweight is persistent have your teeth X-rayed, as 
“blind” abscesses are a frequent cause of underweight. 

The best single food for fattening is milk, taken at intervals 
of two to three hours, and mixed w T ith cream—pint of cream 
to 1 quart of milk. Start with two quarts a day and work up to 
four, taking from one to three glasses at a time. If you can enjoy 
it, buttermilk is excellent for increasing weight. What is com¬ 
monly known as buttermilk is in reality not buttermilk at all, for 
it is milk artificially soured and with the thickened part beaten 
into the fluid. By buttermilk a farmer means the skimmed milk 
after the fat is taken out in the form of butter. This would re¬ 
move the most nourishing part of the milk. Clabbered milk is 
sour, with the curds not whipped in, and the curds themselves 
are, especially in Europe, a very popular dish, served with brown 
sugar. 






EXERCISE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SHOULDERS 

(See Page 80) 




DIET 


95 


Other foods that are very nourishing and form fatty tissue 
are listed below: 

Eggs—These are more easily digested raw, and so taken do 
not take away the appetite for other foods. Use in the 
form of an egg-nog, an egg beaten in orange juice, or 
whipped alone. 

Milk fats—Butter (use in cereal and soups as well as in the 
usual way). Cream. 

Fats—Salad oil, ripe olives, nut meats eaten with meals, 
rich cream soups with crackers, bread and butter. 

Meat and vegetables in normal quantities. Avoid bulky foods 
that are not nutritious, such as cabbage, turnips, string 
beans, cucumbers, pickles, thin soups. 

Desserts—Sweet fruits, dates, raisins, figs, ripe bananas, cus¬ 
tards, bread puddings, cake with fig or nut filling. 

Milk chocolate. 

Drinks—Milk cocoa, chocolate, malted milk. 

One suggestion in closing. The application of the calory sys¬ 
tem explained in the next section is as true in regard to increasing 
weight as it is in reducing. By calory is meant a heat unit and 
food value unit giving out the amount of heat necessary to raise 
a pound of water 4° Fahrenheit. Food calories not consumed by 
energy form surplus fuel, creating in your body a humanized fire¬ 
less cooker. Therefore additional calories, beyond those neces¬ 
sary for normal weight, form fatty tissues. Study the calories 
necessary for your normal weight, the calories at present con¬ 
sumed daily, and add until you pass the necessary number. In 
such a volume as this it would be impossible to give full par¬ 
ticulars of this system.* 


*It has been worked out very satisfactorily in “Diet and Health with a Key to the 
Calories,” by Lulu Hunt Peters. Published by The Reilly & Britton Company, Chicago. 



96 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


DIET FOR REDUCING WEIGHT 
The systems for reducing are numberless, but certain funda¬ 
mental principles are recognized in greater or less degree in all 
of them. Grasp these fundamental principles, be conscientious 
in your efforts to reduce your weight, and once having attained 
your ideal, continue to follow your diet, though of course the full 
regime will not then be necessary. Never let yourself grow fat 
again. You wont want to, you will find the efforts are amply re¬ 
paid, in health, in beauty, in efficiency. A fat man or woman 
cannot accomplish as much as can one who is normal; this is 
undeniable, try though you may. Perhaps you consider yourself 
100 per cent, efficient, in spite of your fat. Reduce and you will find 
that now you outstrip your former record of efficiency. So don’t 
compare your standard with that of your neighbors, compare 
what you do with what you could do if you were normally healthy. 
And the person who is unnecessarily fat is not normally healthy. 
Don’t be fooled by your husband if he insists that he likes you 
that way; don’t believe your friends—when long before you have 
reached the normal weight—they say, “How much better you look, 
but don’t lose a pound more.” Don’t be afraid of wrinkles and sag¬ 
ging skin as the result of reducing. Proper methods do not cause 
you to reduce so fast that such things are not taken care of by 
Nature. Anyhow, aren’t wrinkles from thinness better than 
creases from fat? And don’t try to convince yourself and your 
friends that you “don’t eat as much as So and So, and see how 
much thinner she is.” Somehow, somewhere you are eating more, 
of the foods that make for fat. For fat is made by food, the wrong 
food, or too much food. There’s no way out of it. There’s no wholly 
successful cure for fat that does not include diet regulations. Ex¬ 
ercise alone will help. Diet alone will help. Various novel 
methods of reduction will help. But the ideal cure includes both 
exercise and diet. And just as there are rules for the person who 



EXERCISE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUST 


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DIET 


99 


is trying to gain, so are there rules for the one who is trying to 
reduce: 

Don’t sleep too much, especially in the daytime. 

Don’t overeat, even of food that does not produce fatty tissue. 

Don’t eat unless you are hungry. 

Don’t wash down your food with water. If you can’t resist 
it, don’t drink with your meals. 

Don’t drink alcoholic beverages. 

Don’t eat bread, except a little gluten bread, toasted. 

Don’t ride when you can walk. 

If you are starting on a reducing regime consult your doctor. 
He will tell you whether your heart permits certain exercises, 
and whether your digestion demands certain foods and rejects 
others. No hard and fast rules of diet fit every one. Individual 
peculiarities need individual treatment. But don’t let that peculi¬ 
arity make you think that you can stay fat. Avoid medicines 
advertised as reducing, don’t take drastic purges, exercise moder¬ 
ately at first if you are not accustomed to it, don’t depend on 
Turkish baths to reduce you permanently. 

A regime that provides for systematic exercises, such as the 
“Daily Dozen,” exercises concentrated on definite parts that need 
special exercises, and a diet that precludes fat-building foods will 
bring the desired results, gradually enough for health, in suffi¬ 
cient degree to attain the coveted figure. The calory system re¬ 
ferred to above (See footnote on page 95) explains all other 
successful systems and is in itself “safe and sane.” It takes into 
consideration the fact that individuals demand different regimes. 
A growing child needs more calories than a grown-up, an adult 
of middle age needs more than an old person. Work involving 
physical activity needs more calories than work demanding purely 
mental activity. A person who is underweight needs surplus, a 
person who is overweight needs less than normal, for the d& 


100 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


ficiency is supplied by her own fat and unnecessary fat is con¬ 
sumed. The normal weight multiplied by the number of calories 
needed per pound per day gives the calories necessary. Then, 
within calory limits eat what you like, but consult the chart to 
determine how many calories your food for the day should con¬ 
tain. Remember that certain foods will use up the calories you 
are allowed more rapidly than others, so a rich diet may contain 
your favorite food, but it contains little else, and you will soon 
learn to prefer a balanced diet of unfattening foods to an unbal¬ 
anced diet of fattening foods. Always follow the general diet rule 
given above—10 to 15 per cent, protein, 25 to 30 per cent, fat, 60 to 
65 per cent, carbohydrate. 

Of course, your stomach will rebel at first, but a good way to 
accustom it in short order to a restricted diet is to start by a day 
of fasting. Naturally, excessive eating enlarges the walls of the 
stomach. Fasting contracts the stomach and after a day of fast¬ 
ing, it is ready to receive food, even in small quantities. If you 
cannot go for a day on water, take five glasses of skim milk at 
three-hour intervals, or drink a little fruit juice, or eat fresh 
fruit when you feel you must have something. Some authorities 
advise fast diets for reducing. There are dangers connected with 
fasting—it is weakening as well as reducing, and cannot be kept 
up long enough to produce the required results. For a short time 
it can do no harm, however, and a compromise between the ex¬ 
tremes is made in the fast diet three times a week, and this has 
been found in many cases very effective. Special menus along 
these lines are numerous, but three of the best are: a baked 
potato and glass of skim milk, instead of meals; an exclusive 
fruit diet; or a beefsteak, milk, and fruit diet. But again let me 
state, all these special diets come down to the calory system in the 
long run. Whether the diet meal by meal is adjusted on this 
basis, or the weekly diet totals up to the prescribed amount by 
means of fasting at intervals, the result is the same. Consequently, 



WINDMILL EXERCISE B 


(See Page 75) 











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DIET 


103 


most people will prefer to live normally all the time, and follow 
the simple restrictions, than to glut themselves one day and fast 
the next. Excess mounts up to an alarming degree. Three pats 
of butter or three chocolate creams a day over the limit would 
add twenty-seven pounds in a year. If you feel too keenly the 
pangs of hunger eat some dry lemon or orange peel or half an 
apple, or drink a cup of fat-free bouillon. 

Within calory limits you may eat what you like. Don’t eat 
too fast. You will find that thorough mastication results in your 
hunger being satisfied sooner with less food. Don’t “taste” in the 
kitchen. That is responsible for so many cooks being fat. Don’t 
ever overeat, make a rule of leaving the table a little hungry. Try 
to leave a balance of 50 calories on the credit side of your account 
and drink a small cup of skimmed milk at bedtime, hot if you 
can. You will sleep better than if you go to bed hungry. When 
I say to eat what you like within calory limits, I should like to 
qualify to this extent: If you are to keep within your calory ration 
and have a balanced diet, it is advisable to omit certain things 
from your menus, things that contain so much that forms fat tis¬ 
sue that they would leave you little room for other things. The 
following list comprises the chief of the fat-producing foods: 

1. Pork, bacon, liam, meat fat. 

2. Bread, biscuits, crackers, cereals, things made of wheat, corn, rye, 

barley, or oat flour. 

3. Rice, macaroni, potatoes, corn, dried beans, lentils. 

4. Milk, cream, cheese, butter. 

5. Olive oil, grease. 

6. Pie, cake, pudding, pastry, custard. 

7. Ice cream, soda water. 

8. Candies. 

9. Wines, beers, ales, spirits. 

You will see that these things are covered by four classifica¬ 
tions—starches, sugar, oil, and alcohol. After your reduction is 
sufficient avoid potatoes, rice, white bread, macaroni, and sweets, 
and you will be able to keep down to normal. But what does this 


104 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


allow you to eat, I Lear you demand? A great deal, and all that 
is necessary to build up tissues and give health: 

1. All kinds of meat, except pig. 

2. All kinds of game. 

3. Sea food. 

4. Fruit, except bananas and grapes. 

5. All kinds of salad. 

6. Meat jellies. 

7. Green vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, olives, celery, pickles, 

chili sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. 

8. Desserts—Fruits, gelatines, tapioca, cornstarch, custard. 

You see, this allows you a good deal of leeway, and when you 
feel you must break over the traces, go on a “sweets bat,” and then 
make up for it the rest of the day, and you will come out all right, 
though you may have indigestion in the process. And if you cut 
out one meal a day, you will find that you can allow yourself more 
latitude in the other two, for you will concentrate the prescribed 
calories on two meals instead of spreading them over three. After 
you have attained your normal weight watch the scales, and if 
you find yourself gaining again, go back to your diet without waste 
of time. 



MARIE ANTOINETTE 


(See Page 40) 































’ 






CHAPTER III 

MODERN SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING 

Efficiency First—Therefore Reduce 
By Dr . Royal 8, Copeland, 

Health Commissioner of New York City 

N ATIONAL interest has been aroused by New York City’s 
Fat Reduction Contest, participated in by fifty women and 
held under the auspices of the metropolitan Department of 
Health. There is an increasing percentage of fleshy persons in 
our cities—in New York from twenty to twenty-five per cent of the 
women are overweight. The proportion is lower in the country 
districts, owing, no doubt, to the greater amount of exercise and 
the healthy out-door life of the country-bred woman. We deter¬ 
mine fatness by taking into account the weight, the size of bones, 
and the age of the person. When there appear accumulations of 
fat in certain parts of the body, out of proportion to the general 
deposit of fat, we recognize that the condition of obesity exists. 

The danger of fatness is that the vital organs, like the heart, 
the liver, and the kidneys, have the normal muscular or other 
tissue replaced by fat, a tissue which is not capable of functioning 
in a normal way. When fat replaces muscular tissue in the heart, 
that organ is flabby, lacks its capacity to act as a powerful pump, 
and among other consequences causes the individual to suffer from 
poor circulation. In the kidneys, the fat may act in such a way 
as to interfere with the proper excretion of waste. Within the ab¬ 
dominal cavity there may be such an accumulation of fat about 
the intestines as to interfere with their proper functions. One 
great factor in obesity is the almost universal presence of consti¬ 
pation. The result of delayed intestinal action is absorption of 

107 


108 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PEKSONAL BEAUTY 


a material which might better be drawn off by the body. There is a 
fermentation of waste material. Bloating follows. The abdom¬ 
inal walls lose their elasticity by reason of this excess bloating. 
As a result the waistline is materially increased and the abdo¬ 
men becomes pendulous and heavy. (In the recent contest, one 
woman took off six inches of waistline before she lost a pound 
of weight. The conclusion in her case was that excessive bloating 
had much to do with the increase of her circumference.) Any 
organ which has the normal tissue replaced by fat is incapable 
of acting in a proper way. There is a general lowering of effi¬ 
ciency and an absence of feeling brisk and vigorous. 

The ease with which fat is removed depends upon the age of 
the person. We had much greater success in general with the 
women between twenty and thirty than we had with those past 
thirty. There is a tendency in many cases after marriage and 
child-bearing to put on flesh. This may be in part physiologically 
normal, but, on the other hand, it is more often due to the fact that 
the life of the mother becomes sedentary after child-bearing than 
before. Prior to the birth of the baby, exercise is of greatest 
importance. Let no prospective mother fear to go about her usual 
affairs. She will have an easier time in her delivery and will be 
better prepared to care for her child afterwards. From the age 
of thirty to forty-five it is not quite so easy to reduce, but it can be 
done with special effort. After forty-five it is extremely difficult 
and in many cases unwise to attempt reduction by exercise. 

There are just two ways to take off fat. One is by systematic 
dieting; the other, preferably in conjunction with a suitable diet, 
is by the production of honest sweat. There is no solvent in the 
world for fat except perspiration. But it is not perspiration 
alone that is necessary. It must be perspiration as a result of 
physical activity. Getting into a Turkish bath or an electric light 
cabinet, or wearing rubber garments may cause partial loss of 
weight, but its action is confined only to the superficial areas of 
the body. It does not reach all the structures. 



COUNTESS DU BARRY—BY DROUAIS 

(See Page 43) 






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MODERN SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING 


111 


Our squad of fifty women were examined and weighed at the 
start. They were provided daily with a menu for three meals 
embodying non-fattening items. They were exercised one hour 
daily in a gymnasium, put through a brisk course of setting-up 
exercises, movements with dumb-bells, a little track work, and so 
on. There was also a weekly hike in Central Park. 

We have in general three kinds of food—fats, carbohydrates, 
and proteins. Anyone who wishes to reduce should keep away 
from the first two kinds. The proteins, which do not make fat, 
are found in lean meat, fish, poultry, white of egg, legumes, and 
some other things. Now it is impossible to live on proteins alone. 
They must be supplemented by other and bulky foods, such as 
cereals, vegetables, and fruits. 

The best vegetables for the purpose are the leafy kind with 
plenty of cellulose, such as lettuce, celery, spinach, and cabbage. 
For breakfast take any kind of fruit which has no starch in it— 
grape fruit, apples, stewed prunes, any dried fruit (cooked with¬ 
out sugar); for a cereal, take any bulky or whole-grained sort, 
add a tablespoon of bran, a little sugar if you must, but no cream; 
one egg; dry toast. Keep away from ham and bacon, and any 
fried foods. Avoid fresh bread and white bread, using toast, bran 
biscuits, and Graham bread, without butter. Skim milk, in mod¬ 
erate quantities, is safe, and coffee, either black or with milk, is 
all right. Do not take water at meal times—you eat more if you 
drink—but drink all you want between meals. A tablespoon of 
mineral oil is a useful ally of bran in keeping the bowels open. 

Our experiment with the squad has the same value that a 
sanitarium has in the treatment of incipient tuberculosis. It acts 
as an object lesson. Along this line of thought, it may profit 
persons of incipient fatness to consider the reduction diet and to 
follow it to some extent. If we treat ourselves properly our bodies 
will not be fat, but will be fit, life will be enjoyable, and its span 
increase. Moreover there will be more natural beauty in the land. 

I do not object to the reasonable use of cosmetics, but paint and 

5 


112 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


powder are poor substitutes for the splendid appearance of good 
health. The trouble with our modern civilization is that we cam¬ 
ouflage the condition of health. A counterfeit complexion, with 
an artful gown and a harness, enable many persons to pass mus¬ 
ter who otherwise would be forced to mend their ways and im¬ 
prove their state of health. A natural trim figure and genuine 
roses in the cheeks should be the aim of sensible American woman¬ 
hood. 


HEALTH AS THE FOUNDATION FOR BEAUTY 
By Walter Camp . 

* ‘ And bright the light shone o ’er fair women and brave men ’ ’ 

T HE lights of song and story always shine over fair and beau¬ 
tiful women and brave, strong men. And just as every man 
has a desire to be brave and strong, so every woman has the 
rightful heritage of beauty and attractiveness. It was recently 
decided at a woman’s college, where they had taken up almost all 
the sports, that they would not take up the game of football be¬ 
cause in football the women were needed in the stands. And there 
was more than a grain of reason in this. In the old comic opera, 
“The Mikado,” there was a line of a song, “When man’s afraid a 
beautiful maid is a cheering sight to see.” And the idea expressed 
in both these facts is as old as the everlasting hills. Disguise or 
veneer the facts as you will, the man and the woman of to-day are 
the same as they were yesterday and as they will be to-morrow. 

Civilization, however, in some respects, makes the acquire¬ 
ment of beauty and attractiveness more difficult because we have 
in a measure grown away from the out-of-doors and become walled 
up in civilization, which saps some of the life-giving qualities of 
outdoor air and sunshine. But we may compensate for this, and 
as any woman has a right to be graceful, supple, beautiful and 
attractive, so the first step towards this is good health. Of course, 
one realizes fully that an elixir which, if taken regularly, will 
enable them when they have reached the age of eighty, to live to 



© Underwood & Underwood 

THE SECRET OF BEAUTY LIES IN EXPRESSION 



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MODERN SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING 


115 


be ninety-five, would find few purchasers; but something which, 
taken consistently, would make her at forty look and feel as she did 
at twenty-five would find plenty of purchasers. There are a few 
cardinal facts about exercise, diet, and habits that form the real 
basis of the only foundation for permanent beauty. Primarily, 
the circulation must be attended to by regular and consistent ex¬ 
ercise, and the diet must be a reasonable one. As to habits, there 
are a few which should be followed absolutely. Anger, jealousy, 
and wrath will ruin the digestion and beauty at the same time. 
Worry will put lines in the face. Getting angry will leave marks 
almost as surely as those made with a pencil. As for other things, 
it should be remembered that one’s nose and not mouth was given 
the human being to breathe through, that tight shoes produce 
bad tempers and many colds, and that Nature will not stand for 
overdrafts any more than the bank. One other warning is not 
to sit still with wet feet. As long as you are moving about it is 
all right. 

Women in war time showed that they could accomplish al¬ 
most superhuman physical tasks and still remain beautiful, and 
a business woman to-day must be “on her job” and cannot afford 
to be anything but attractive and well. Sickness is altogether 
too expensive, as is also a disagreeable personal appearance. 

Every woman realizes that with the modern evening gown a 
flat, straight back is essential. Shoulder blades sticking out like 
wings are not attractive, and a reasonable amount of exercise 
of the right kind will cure this trouble. Physical and nervous 
breakdowns do not come to women who exercise and get out-of- 
doors, but they come inexorably to those who loll around in close 
rooms. Candy is all right if eaten after dinner and if it is not 
substituted for more solid food. 

It has often been said that beauty comes from within. “Think 
beautiful thoughts,” they say, “cultivate a happy frame of mind, 
keep your mind unclouded by worry and your face will fairly 


116 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


shine with a radiating beauty.” To which one wag replies: “What 
woman nowadays wants her face to shine?” 

That good old advice is still true, but only to the limited extent 
to which it was always true. Right thinking, freedom from anxi¬ 
ety, and contentment all have their part in making a beautiful 
face. It is not the whole truth by any means, however. 

In the first place ideas of beauty change. We do not have the 
same standards of beauty that prevailed ten years ago. If you 
doubt this look at the covers of some ten-year-old magazines or 
some old photographs. “How perfectly terrible!” you will ex¬ 
claim. Not such a great while ago wasp-like waists were con¬ 
sidered essential to beauty of form. To-day such a figure is as 
ridiculous as it has always seemed after every periodic recur¬ 
rence of the wasp-waist fad has passed into history. Going far¬ 
ther back take, for example, the paintings of the Madonnas and 
Saints of the middle ages. 

“How beautiful! What exquisite features!” exclaim the vis¬ 
itors to the art galleries. 

Yet what young woman of to-day would willingly have the 
face of even the most beautiful of the Madonnas? When those 
pictures were painted beauty was associated, as it has been at 
other periods in history, with frailty, and accordingly Da Yinci 
and other celebrated artists of his time, we are told, chose as 
models pale, sickly women, often someone suffering from tuber¬ 
culosis in advanced stages. That was their idea of beauty then. 
It isn’t ours now. 

Now as to where the oft-quoted advice about beautiful 
thoughts, contentment, and freedom from worry fails. It fails be¬ 
cause, though it is excellent and indispensable advice to the 
woman who would be beautiful, it does not tell her how to have 
those beautiful thoughts, how to keep free from aging worry, how 
to be happy and contented. 

No one can do that for all persons under all circumstances, 
but there is one broad general principle which will probably go 


MODERN SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING 


117 


farther toward doing it than any one other piece of advice. It is 
not particularly new, although it has never before been quite so 
generally acknowledged or practised as it is to-day. It is this: 
Keep active, healthy, and fit. 

Here, then, are the ingredients of an almost infallible recipe 
for beauty: Work, Light, Air, and Water. 

Does it sound too much like the chapter headings in the old 
high school physics textbook? If so, think of them rather in a 
different sense. By work I mean a sufficient amount of muscular 
activity and of the right kind, whether it be exercise, play, or 
manual and muscular effort. That is essential. And don’t say 
that you are getting enough or the right kind of exercise until 
you have finished reading this article. 

By light I mean the sunlight which is second only to air as an 
essential of this programme. The water is, as you may have 
guessed, even more useful if used internally and externally. In 
fewer words this is the great secret of all beauty: A clean body 
sufficiently exercised and kept healthy by life in the open air. 

There can be no real beauty without fitness, a sound physique, 
health. The woman who is not healthy cannot possibly be truly 
beautiful, and any beauty she possesses speedily disappears. She 
cannot realize her possibilities for beauty to the full unless she 
has health. I have seen some beautiful women who were invalids, 
but how much more beautiful they would have been with color and 
health! I do not mean that every unbeautiful woman can make 
herself a beauty by following this advice, but I do say that the 
unlovely woman can make herself far less unlovely and even ex¬ 
tremely attractive by following it. There is a certain beauty in 
health which is entirely independent of the physical appearance 
of the possessor. A woman who keeps herself in good physical 
trim cannot be entirely lacking in beauty regardless of any facial 
misfortunes. 

Art recognizes two essentials to beauty: beauty of face and 
beauty of form. Consider the former. Beauty of face includes, 


118 GUIDE TO HEALTH ANT) PERSONAL BEAUTY 


first, beauty of feature. This is not entirely under the control of 
the individual and his or her state of health, though it is to a cer¬ 
tain extent, for it is largely a matter of the draping of the muscles 
upon the skull and that in turn is dependent to a degree upon the 
state of health. Hollow cheeks, double chins, sagging muscles, 
puffy eyes, drawn, gaunt features, bloated, fat faces—all these 
unlovely things are merely expressions of bad health or bad liv¬ 
ing, and right living and good health will cure them. Wrinkles 
and crows’ feet are likewise considered not beautiful. They, too, 
are in many cases an indication of poor health or lack of interest 
in health and fitness. An unhealthy woman cannot possibly be 
free from the mental state which writes these wrinkles into the 
face. 

Secondly, facial beauty depends upon coloring. This is en¬ 
tirety a matter of either health or of the make-up kit. A woman 
who keeps herself in good physical trim, who exercises and eats 
the proper food, cannot help having cheeks so pink and lips so red 
and skin so white that they will be the despair of every rouge and 
lip-stick addict. One cannot too strongly condemn the excessive 
use of powder, rouge, and lip-stick. Their excessive and habitual 
use is a confession to the world that here is a woman who is too 
lazy, indolent, careless to keep herself in a physical condition 
which would supply natural color and who therefore resorts to 
make-up to offset her slothfulness and cover up her physical de¬ 
ficiencies. Notice that I say “excessive and habitual.” There are 
doubtless times when appearances demand the use of powder and 
color, but there is never any occasion for some of the fearful 
enamel make-ups which one sees nowadays. Furthermore, this 
habitual enameling makes matters worse by keeping the pores of 
the face clogged and closed air-tight. It is as necessary for the 
complexion to keep the pores open and aired as it is for the intes¬ 
tines and other organs of elimination to be kept open and work¬ 
ing for general bodily health. This leads to the third factor in 
facial beauty, namely, the texture of the skin. This, too, is largely 


MODERN SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING 


119 


a matter of health plus cleanliness, which is a vital factor in 
health. Dry skins, greasy skins, facial disorders—all those things 
which detract from the beautiful soft texture which marks the 
skin of the healthy individual can, in nine cases out of ten, be bet¬ 
ter corrected by right living than by creams and lotions. And if 
these are needed they will work more easily and effectively where 
there is health as a basis. 

There is a story of the young country girl who sought from a 
visiting actress whose beauty she much admired some stage aids 
to beauty. The obliging actress gave the child some rouge, creams, 
grease paint, and added a rabbit’s foot, such as is used to spread 
on rouge. The girl had enough of the feminine instinct to figure 
out a use for everything except the rabbit’s foot. One night when 
the family physician was calling at the house she asked him how 
she could use the rabbit’s foot to make her beautiful. His reply 
was this: 

“I reckon, little girl, that the best thing you can do with that 
if you really want to have a regular peaches-and-cream com¬ 
plexion is to bury it in the dark of the moon behind the gravej^ard 
two miles out of town there and then walk out every night and see 
if it’s still there.” 

Whether this story is true or not there is a world of sanity in 
the old doctor’s advice, for the four miles of walking daily which 
he recommended is not a bit too much for the woman who is willing 
to follow Nature’s own method of beauty culture. 

In addition to beauty of feature there must also be consid¬ 
ered beauty of figure. It is useless to point out to women the 
ugliness of flat chests, round or hollow shoulders, an ugly walk, a 
bad carriage, or any of the dozens of things which can make the 
female figure unlovely. And these defects and all the others are 
largely a matter of exercise. There are exercises which will cor¬ 
rect these things if women will take the time and trouble to use 
them. There is no reason why a woman should look like either a 
public building or a ruin. Fat can be taken off, flesh can be built 


120 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


on ugly bones, fat can be converted into soft muscle, and angles 
can be softened into beautiful curves. Exercise and diet will ac¬ 
complish the miracle. 

It might be well at this time to distinguish between work, 
play, and exercise. Every woman who aspires to beauty needs all 
three. Work, in most cases, is settled. Most women nowadays 
have certain duties either at home or directed toward earning a 
living which are more or less inflexible. Play or recreation is not 
so generally inflexible. One may walk, ride, motor, play golf and 
tennis, swim or do any one of a dozen things. Too often women 
take their recreation sitting down; they go to the theatre or the 
motion pictures, read or take their recreation in some sedentary 
way. That isn’t real recreation, because it isn’t what “recreation” 
implies; it doesn’t re-create. What a woman, especially one who 
works, needs, is something more vigorous—tennis, golf, swim¬ 
ming, something violent. “But,” comes the cry, “I work and am 
on my feet eight or nine hours a day. I need rest when I get 
home.” Certainly you need rest, eight hours of it in bed asleep. 
Take it by all means. What are you going to do during the other 
eight hours? Rest may be strenuous and still be rest. Golfing 
and tennis rest the tired business woman because she hasn’t golfed 
for eight hours during the day, she has done something entirely 
different and physical exertion while at play is really restful and 
beneficial to her after a day in the house, shop, or office. There 
should be at least an hour of really hard physical play or walk¬ 
ing, at least, every day. And more on week-ends. Too few busi¬ 
ness women realize to any extent on the opportunity w r hich the 
week-end offers for out-of-door play and the rebuilding and re¬ 
gaining of lost vitality and energy. 

But besides work and play, however strenuous they may be, 
the woman who would have the beauty of health must have a cer¬ 
tain amount of body-building exercise, following a system. We 
are all caged animals to a certain extent, for the confinements of 
civilization have imposed a certain abnormal life upon us, the ef- 



© Joel Feder 

A GRACEFUL TILT OF THE HEAD ADDS CHARM TO BEAUTY 











MODERN SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING 


121 


fects of which we cannot escape unless we deliberately exercise 
those muscles which our ordinary pursuits do not call into play. 
I refer to the vital trunk muscles which, in proportion to their im¬ 
portance, get all too little use. The arms and legs get enough exer¬ 
cise in the course of our daily activities; it is to the trunk muscles 
that we must look in any effective, health-giving system of exer¬ 
cises. 

This is one of the mistakes which the old Swedish system of 
exercise made. Too much emphasis was placed upon exercising 
the arms and legs; too little upon flexing and limbering the 
trunk. This, I think, is the reason that women who were really 
serious about exercising were unable to keep up their exercises. 
The old systems not only tired them but they bored them, just as 
they tired and bored the millions of men who entered the service 
during the war and were required to do them. Necessity de¬ 
manded that a new sj r stem of exercise be evolved which should be 
interesting and easy and should, at the same time, bring into play 
those vital muscles which other systems overlooked or disre¬ 
garded. The result was the Daily Dozen. The system proved suc¬ 
cessful because the men really did the exercises and did not per¬ 
functorily go through the motions of doing them. Either they 
couldn’t or they didn’t want to shirk them. Chests were filled out, 
constipation and other ills were helped, muscles were strength¬ 
ened and the general health of the men was markedly improved. 

Since the war the same system has proven of great value to 
those who have consistently followed it and has attained consid¬ 
erable popularity. There are few women whose general health 
and hence beauty of form and face cannot be improved by the use 
of the Daily Dozen. For those who are over- or underweight, I 
consider this system or one like it indispensable. If it is found 
that it is hard to do them alone without the directions, if they are 
a bit uninteresting or if you lack enthusiasm for them for any 
reason, there are the phonograph records, for the system has been 


122 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


set to music and the fat woman can grow thin or the thin one take 
on weight to the tune of the phonograph. 

It has been impossible in this short article to mention many 
points which have a direct bearing upon beauty and health—diet, 
for example, bathing, fatigue, sleep, and a hundred kindred topics 
which are all important, for any exhaustive discussion of beauty 
must, of necessity, consider the health of different types at all ages 
and under all conditions. Sometime I shall hope to do this in a 
health series which I have long considered and tried to find time 
to complete. Meanwhile if the fact has been driven home that a 
healthy normal vigorous life is the only road to real beauty it will 
have done something to help women to the kind of beauty that 
lasts as the years roll on. 

Reduction by Electric Manipulation of the Muscles 

It is frequently the case that a person is very stout as the 
result of some internal trouble, and that the very act of reducing 
by violent exercises aggravates that trouble, and injures the vital 
organs. For people who have heart trouble which prohibits vio¬ 
lent exercise, for people who have trouble with the kidneys which 
would be increased by bending or working the muscles of the 
trunk, and even for people whose excessive weight makes all their 
organs far from normal, and on whom the strain of carrying this 
weight about during exercise would precipitate some trouble that 
is dormant, reduction by electric manipulation of the muscles is 
far better than reduction by exercise. Of course, the diet has to be 
regulated, and sweets and fats cut out. There are various electric 
systems, and of these one of the most effective is the muscular 
manipulation. 

The theory is based on the fact that reduction must come 
through exercising the muscles, and that to exercise the muscles 
sufficiently in the normal way requires exercise too violent for 
very large people or for people with internal troubles. Conse¬ 
quently, an electric machine has been invented which exercises 


MODERN SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING 


123 


the muscles automatically, without disturbing the organs, and 
at a speed that no ordinary exercise could attain. The results 
vary with individuals, and are lasting only if the patient leads 
a normal life, refrains from overeating, and takes a sufficient 
amount of exercise. This is true of any system of reduction. Tke 
treatment should be given two or three times a week, for as long 
as the physician advises. One great advantage of this system is 
that the muscular manipulation can be regulated so as to bring 
about reduction in the place where it is most needed. 

The apparatus consists of a chair, with a broad back and 
seat, wide arms, and a sloping rest for the legs, each part of the 
chair being almost covered with metal plates; a set of curved 
plates to place over the abdomen, the chest, and so on; and a 
large “switchboard.” Knobs connect the switchboard current 
with the chair, one making the general connection, the others con¬ 
necting with back, right arm, left leg, and so on. 

The patient lies out at full length in the chair, placing his 
arms over the arm plates. Then the current is turned on, and he 
feels a vibration and a tingling in the muscles throughout the 
body. Another person putting his hand on any muscle can feel 
it working. If special reduction is needed in the legs, the knobs 
marked “right leg” and “left leg” are turned on; if across the 
chest, the metal plates are adjusted and the current connecting 
with them is started. This electric exercise not only works the 
muscles, but in so doing stimulates the circulation. If at first the 
patient cannot stand a strong current, it can be regulated so that 
at first a weak current is used, gradually growing stronger as the 
patient becomes accustomed to it. The treatment lasts from 
fifteen minutes to half an hour, and is repeated several times a 
week until the amount of the reduction is sufficient. 

Other forms of electric reduction consist in electric massage 
by means of rollers, electric manipulation, and so on, but this 
muscular manipulation seems to be based on the soundest prin¬ 
ciples. 


124 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


SPECIAL SYSTEMS 

The use of rubber garments for reducing has been advocated 
extensively, and has in many instances proved successful. The 
theory back of this system is reducing by perspiration and local¬ 
izing the treatment so as to reduce in special parts. The rubber 
garments are made to individual measurements, and are worn 
at night. They are effective to a certain degree, but unless they 
are accompanied by a certain amount of exercise and diet they 
have no lasting effect, for they do not get at the fundamental 
causes of the excess fat. Sometimes people are fat in certain 
places out of proportion to their general size. For instance, some 
people have double chins, due in great part to sagging muscles. 
The use of the chin reducer combined with exercises for strength¬ 
ening the muscles of the neck will bring about reduction here with¬ 
out materially changing the weight, which may be normal. An¬ 
other person may have large legs and ankles. Here again the use 
of rubber garments is efficacious. Do not get them so tight that 
they interfere with the circulation, or they may cause trouble far 
more serious than fatness. For general condition of obesity, 
rubber garments are not advisable. A systematized series of 
exercises and a carefully regulated diet will prove far more satis¬ 
factory. 

Then there are endless special systems, widely advertised, 
which are, on the whole, fakes. They may catch hold of some grain 
of truth, and by that succeed enough to give a basis for their 
claims. I refer particularly to special foods, which eaten with 
anything or everything are supposed to reduce. Frequently these 
foods prevent constipation, reduce bloated conditions, and im¬ 
prove the general system, thus aiding reduction by bringing nor¬ 
mal conditions. So far so good, but do not trust them to reduce 
permanently. Other systems undermine the general health, so 
before attempting any system of which you know solely by hear¬ 
say or by advertising, investigate it thoroughly, and ask the 
advice of your physician. 


CHAPTEE IV 


SPOETS FOE WOMEN 

W OMEN have a much better chance at beauty now than they 
did even ten years ago—that is, if you accept as beauty 
well-rounded development. The Victorians preferred a 
type of delicate woman, and the novels and the portraits of the 
period show this to be the case. Probably they would not consider 
the slim, athletic type of girl, with glowing natural color in her 
cheeks, beautiful at all. Fortunately, however for the race, the 
Victorian woman is no longer the ideal of beauty, and health and 
beauty go hand in hand. Women seek health in a normal way, 
just as men do, by fresh air, exercise, normal diet, and a sane life, 
and by caring for their looks and giving them their due apprecia¬ 
tion. The business life that many women lead nowadays precludes 
undue attention to looks, and requires due attention. Week-ends 
are a boon to the business woman, and should be used for outdoor 
exercise. If so used, they will keep her young and fit and able to 
cope with the men in business. If neglected and spent indoors, 
they will start her on the new week jaded and worn, instead of full 
of energy and vigor. 

Whether you live in the country or city, sports are within your 
reach', during the week as well as over the week-ends. There are 
swimming pools, indoor tennis and basket ball courts, riding 
academies, and ample opportunities for dancing in every city. 
Then on Sunday, if you live in the city, it is usually an easy mat¬ 
ter to get off for the day where you can play golf or at any rate 
walk over the hills, in the fresh air and the sunshine. Go in for 
some outdoor sport, and see how much better you will feel and how 
much more beautiful you will look. Perhaps you think you are too 

125 


126 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


old, that you can’t take up such things after your first youth has 
passed. Well, you can, if you make up your mind to it. Once you 
have started, you will find they will be proud of your improved 
appearance and will rejoice in your greater enthusiasm for life. 
Sports supply the pleasantest means of getting exercise, and exer¬ 
cise through sports is far better for you than through any indoor 
method of movements ever invented. 

Swimming is, perhaps, the finest exercise and sport that 
women have gone in for. It is, by its nature, a sport in which 
women compete favorably with men. Their greater strength en¬ 
ables them to outrank women in speed, but endurance tests and 
tests of grace show women to rival men. In swimming, that is 
outdoor swimming, the sport combines exercise, the invigoration 
of a cold plunge, fresh air, and sunlight, four of the greatest medi¬ 
cines life can provide. Annette Kellermann tells of her childhood 
of semi-invalidism, of her father’s insistence on her learning to 
swim, though she could not walk, and of the benefit she reaped in 
every direction, so that in a few years she was strong and well and 
able to do, not merely what other girls could do, but far and away 
more than the average. Swimming gives complete control of prac¬ 
tically every muscle in the body, and since muscular control is 
essential to poise, it gives dignity, beauty of carriage, and self- 
confidence that comes with being sure of yourself physically. Then 
the effect on the vital organs is amazing. A torpid liver gives the 
skin a muddy aspect, and swimming stirs the most sluggish of 
livers. Dull eyes indicate inactive kidneys, and swimming stimu¬ 
lates the kidneys and clears the eyes. Constipation is due to lack 
of muscular strength through the abdomen, and general debility 
throughout the system, and any exercise that strengthens the mus¬ 
cles around the waist and in the abdominal region cures constipa¬ 
tion. Outwardly the muscles become firm and rounded, not knotty, 
as they do in men; the chest develops, the neck fills out, rolls of 
fat disappear from around the waist, and the body develops sym¬ 
metrically without the swimmer being conscious of any strain on 



SPORTS FOR WOMEN 


127 


any one part of the body. Of course, it is best to learn to swim in 
childhood, but as the sport becomes increasingly popular, more 
and more people are taking it up comparatively late in life. The 
city swimming pools afford opportunity for learning to all ages; 
having once learned to swim, swim, don’t sun yourself on the beach 
when you go to the shore. 

The breast stroke is probably the best for general develop¬ 
ment, but is slower and not so good for endurance tests as the 
side stroke. However, if you use the side stroke exclusively, 
change from side to side. It will make your development more 
symmetrical. Learn to breathe properly in swimming—wrong 
breathing is at the foundation of most troubles that beginners 
encounter. There is no space for instructions here, but let me re¬ 
iterate this advice—learn to swim now, and then swim regularly, 
outdoors in summer, in pools in winter. 

The fashion in swimming costumes tends to be saner than 
ever before. The old type of bathing suit hampered and discour¬ 
aged the bather, with its full skirt and sleeves. The best kind of 
suit to wear where there are other people, is the one-piece jersey 
suit; better still are tights, but best of all, no suit. Of course, 
convention makes this impossible, under most circumstances, but 
everyone has a chance now and then, and if the chance is once taken 
you will long for the next opportunity. There is no sensation 
which quite equals that of feeling that you have unlimited space 
and unhampered limbs. As for modesty—well, do you wear a 
bathing suit in the bathtub? Many women never become good 
swimmers because they are afraid of getting the hair wet. Get a 
close-fitting diving cap of heavy rubber, under it tie a scarf in a 
band around your head. This makes the cap fit more closely where 
there is the greatest chance for the water to get under the edge, 
and what water does get under is absorbed by the band. Over the 
cap tie a vivid silk scarf, if you wish to make your headdress more 
becoming, but don’t forfeit comfort to style and substitute a fancy 
bathing cap or hat for one that will keep your hair really dry. It 


128 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


is bad for your hair to get wet constantly, and it is very incon¬ 
venient. After yon have mastered swimming, learn to dive. It 
is one of the most graceful sports conceivable, and is one in which 
women usually outclass men. Back diving is difficult and fre¬ 
quently results in strain, so don’t attempt it except under expert 
tutelage, unless you are very sure of yourself. 

Horseback riding is, unfortunately, not so general as it was 
before automobiling made any other form of locomotion slow. 
But the past few years have seen a tendency toward a revival of 
this delightful form of exercise. The trend away from side sad¬ 
dles and the clumsy habits of the last century have added many 
times over to the pleasure and benefit of riding. Riding breeches 
make riding much safer, and much more fun. There is no other 
exercise which gives a better carriage than proper riding, and 
everyone who goes in for it should learn to do it well. It gives an 
opening into all sorts of delights—jumping, hunting, and best of 
all cross-country rides. Don’t be discouraged over the stiffness at 
the beginning. Remember that you are using muscles of the back 
and thighs that have not been in use for some time, probably, and 
the stiffness will be cured by a second and third ride. Of course, 
city riding in academies and parks cannot compare with country 
riding, but it is better than none, and is one of the most satisfac¬ 
tory ways of getting exercise in the city. 

Dancing deserves a chapter all its own, so great is its value 
and so varied its delights. It teaches coordination of all parts of the 
body and the results are manifold—grace, beauty, and strength, 
among others. And everyone can dance. If you have only a little 
Yictrola, get some good dance records, turn back the rugs, and 
dance in the evening. This is better for everyone concerned than 
sitting still, gossiping. If you have not learned the new steps, 
don’t feel that it is too late to begin. I know a fine old gentleman 
of eighty-three who goes to dances and dances with the best of 
them. It has helped to keep him young. The secret of good danc¬ 
ing is not knowing the latest wrinkle in the fox trot but in listen- 



0 Joel Feder 

THE FOLK DANCE GIVES FRESH SPARKLE TO THE EYES 






































































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SPORTS FOR WOMEN 


131 


ing to tlie music and giving yourself to the dancing, not stiffening 
and restraining yourself. If you let the music move you, you will 
soon learn the new steps. Most people have small opportunity 
for other forms of dancing, but it is a pity they are not more gen¬ 
eral. The greatest value in dancing comes through the natural 
interpretative dancing and through the simple folk dances, which 
give the parts of the body fuller play than do the formal social 
dances. Of course, you will argue that you are not graceful enough 
to do interpretative dancing, that you feel “silly.” You will, at 
first, so try it when you are alone. The second time will be easier, 
the third easier still. The folk dances are great fun. Learn the 
simple dances of the peasants—the English Morris dance, the 
Russian dance of the Hussars, the Italian Tarentella, and so on. 
Organize a dancing class of your friends instead of a bridge club, 
and dance these folk dances as well as the social dances. It will 
rest the “tired business men”—and women—more than sitting 
still, for they have probably been sitting still all day and need 
muscular exercise more than they need relaxation. There are 
plenty of good books on the subject of folk dancing, which will 
supply directions and music, if a teacher is not available. 

All the rubbish talked about the immorality of dancing is too 
absurd for more than passing comment. Dancing was one of the 
earliest expressions of thought, one of the earliest forms of wor¬ 
ship. It played its part in the prehistoric ceremonies, and the 
Greek dramas would have been incomplete without the dance. It 
is good exercise, it is good fun, what more do you want? The evils 
of dancing are mostly in the minds of the people who talk about 
them, not in the minds of the dancers. These so-called reformers 
are trying to make what is simply a natural expression of the 
rhythm that should be innate in every man, woman, and child, an 
act of self-conscious physical appeal. Talking about it makes it 
take on aspects undreamed of before, so the sooner the agitation 
subsides, the better. 

There are ample opportunities for everyone to play tennis, 

6 


132 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


whether in country or city. Indoor courts are not as good as out¬ 
door ones, but they are available at seasons and in places where 
outdoor courts are not possible. Tennis, in the past, has been 
played only by the younger people, but many communities are tak¬ 
ing it up for the older generation as well. In most summer resorts 
there is at least one “mothers’ tournament” during the season, 
and the older men have long been playing the game. It is strenu¬ 
ous, too strenuous, unless you are in good trim, but it is splendid 
exercise and can be taken advantage of in off moments where golf 
would be impossible. 

Unfortunately, the opportunities for indoor golf are limited 
to unsatisfactory “golf schools,” where you drive into a net, and 
have the length of your drive measured on a chart. But outdoor 
golf is growing more and more popular, and has long since ceased 
to be considered a sport for middle-aged men only. The joy in 
golf lies in the fact that even bad players can get enjoyment out 
of the air and sun and exercise, and above all the hope that the 
next hole, the next round, the next day will bring better luck. 
Women have taken up this sport tremendously during the past 
few years, and, aside from the strength behind a man’s drive which 
sometimes sends the ball far whether there is skill behind it or 
not, women are ranking well the country over. 

An indoor sport for winter evenings and rainy days is bowl¬ 
ing, and its increasing popularity among both men and women is 
making it an adjunct of many country clubs and an end in itself 
where clubhouses are not available. It is a very inexpensive sport, 
and both men and women indulge in it. It is splendid for the 
trunk muscles and the arm muscles, and is frequently recom¬ 
mended by physicians as a cure for constipation and for obesity. 
Unfortunately, the old-time outdoor bowling alleys are almost ex¬ 
tinct, so that it is a sport that must be played indoors, and should 
not be substituted for outdoor sports. 

Winter sports have come into prominence of recent years 
through the various resorts opened for the purpose. Skating has 



Mi 


© Joel Feder 


THE GOOD TENNIS PLAYER IS ALWAYS POPULAR 







SPOUTS FOR WOMEN 


135 


long been popular and is not confined to the younger generation. 
It is one of the most exhilarating and stimulating of the sports, 
and brings into play as many muscles as does dancing, with the 
additional advantage of being an outdoor sport, possible only 
when the weather is at its most invigorating. It has been elab¬ 
orated since the international competitions brought foreigners to 
this country to exhibit the fancy skating long popular in countries 
where there is more opportunity and an extended season of skat¬ 
ing. Now every good skater knows some of the lovely figures and 
dancing steps which make skating a rival of dancing in grace of 
execution. More than any other sport it develops a sense of bal¬ 
ance and coordination of the muscles and requires absolute mus¬ 
cular control, which results in poise and dignity of carriage. Ski¬ 
ing is much newer and, in fact, was almost unheard of in some 
parts of the country until a comparatively few years ago. The ex¬ 
ercise itself does not use as many muscles as does skating, but it 
too requires poise and balance and muscular coordination. It is 
not a sport, however, that women can take up after middle age, 
unless they are of the type that instinctively does any sport well. 
The chief value of such winter sports as tobogganing lies in the 
exhilaration of the cold air and the stimulation to the circulation 
from the rapid motion and the cold. The exercise comes in most 
assuredly in pulling the toboggan and yourself up the hill. All 
ages enjoy this sport, and the vigor that comes from exposure to 
cold, crisp air supplies enthusiasm and the ability to do things 
you yourself may not realize that you can do. 

There are a great many sports which older women are not apt 
to go in for, but which it is possible for most girls to enjoy at some 
time or other in their lives. Basket ball has been very popular for 
a great many years in schools and colleges and opportunities are 
being made in Y. W. C. A.’s and clubs for carrying on this delight¬ 
ful sport after leaving college. It is possible to play basket ball in¬ 
doors or out, with always the advantage in outdoor playing that 
there is the fresh air and sunlight to add to the joy of the exercise. 


136 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


There is a feeling among some physicians that basket ball is dan¬ 
gerous for girls during the years of puberty, that the strain in 
reaching and jumping may be harmful. Possibly this is so, if there 
is any weakness, but the average healthy girl is able to go in for 
any sport and be the better for it. Of course, at the period of 
menstruation, it is best not to indulge in any violent exercise, es¬ 
pecially in one which involves jumping, in swimming, or in horse¬ 
back riding. Normally healthy women do not feel any discomfort 
during this period, and the general tendency to coddle themselves 
is uncalled for and absurd. The more this is taken for granted, 
the better most women would be. To return to the subject of 
basket ball: It was originally a game played almost entirely by 
men, and the rules were very lenient and the game very rough. 
When girls first took it up, there was a tendency to have “girls’ 
rules,” which went to the other extreme, and made it a tame sport. 
Now the happy medium seems to have been reached, and the game 
is a better game than ever before. Skirts have long since been 
abandoned in favor of bloomers, and loose blouses leave the arms 
free. Basket ball should never be played in corsets, not so much 
because you might harm thereby yourself, but because you can’t 
“play the game” to the limit, and it is unfair to your team. Basket 
ball exercises every part of the body, stimulates the circulation, 
and strengthens the whole system. It is violent exercise, and girls 
who go in for it should have a physical examination first, to ascer¬ 
tain their physical fitness. Heart trouble, enlarged thyroid gland, 
and certain other organic weaknesses make basket ball unwise, 
but don’t stop playing because you are afraid of developing some 
disease. If you start in fit condition, any good exercise will 
strengthen you and make you still more fit. 

Hockey takes considerably more space than does basket ball 
and cannot be played indoors, so it is a school and college sport 
primarily, and occasionally indulged in where there is open coun¬ 
try and enough people are interested to make up a team. Its 
popularity is increasing rapidly, and it is to be hoped that its pos- 


SPORTS FOR WOMEN 


137 


sibilities will be more generally recognized. The equipment is in¬ 
expensive, the land does not have to be extraordinarily well kept 
up as in the case of a tennis court, and the goals are easily made by 
anyone with the most superficial knowledge of carpentry. It is a 
splendid sport, gives well-rounded development, and keeps you in 
the open air. The same limitations apply on the physical side as 
in basket ball though not in the same degree, as there is no jump¬ 
ing nor reaching up involved. This was, originally, a boys’ game, 
but now is played probably even more by girls than by boys. Some 
schools that do not allow basket ball sanction and encourage 
hockey. 

Then there are the varied sports that fall under the term of 
“track” in the school vocabulary. Running, hurdling, jumping, 
throwing—these are the main heads, and under each are sub¬ 
heads, so that “track” covers a wide field. Unquestionably, the 
middle-aged woman will not go in for these sports, but girls are 
proving that they rank with men in many of the branches. Men 
may hold the world records for running, jumping, and so on, but 
that is largely because girls are newer at it, and fewer are going in 
for it at the present time. Of course, where strength counts more 
than skill, men will probably continue to outrank women in these 
sports, but where skill is the test, they will soon find their equals 
among the other sex. 

Baseball is played by girls to some extent, but has not been 
taken up seriously, so the men need fear no competition there for 
some time to come. And of football one may safely quote: “The 
girls are needed on the bleachers and the grandstand—that’s why 
they’ve not taken it up.” Strange to say, boat racing seems to at¬ 
tract few women, and there are very few places where they have 
“gone in” for it. There seems to be no reason why they should 
not be very successful, here as elsewhere in the realm of sports, 
for the strength required is not so great as to be prohibitive. Polo 
is dangerous, and played by few women. It requires splendid 
horsemanship and great skill, long training and a great deal of 


138 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


expense, but women who hunt and are as much at home on horse¬ 
back as on the ground are beginning to take it up. 

In closing, let me say again something about walking as a 
sport. Too many people take it as a means to an end and not an 
end in itself, to enjoy it to the full. And yet there is no sport more 
universally beneficial and more attainable by everyone. Country 
walking is far and away more delightful and more beneficial than 
city walking, where crowds make rapid motion difficult, where one 
is hampered by clothes in which style is considered rather than 
efficiency, and where the air is tainted by gasoline, smoke, and 
humanity in mass. However, even in the cities there are parks 
and quiet streets and usually a comparatively rural spot within 
reach by subway or trolley. Nothing can quite take the place of 
country walking, when you are dressed in a short skirt which gives 
you ample freedom for a long, swinging stride. Put rhythm and 
vim into your stride, swing forward from the hip, not from the 
knee as so many women do, and the miles will seem nothing to 
you. Walking gives play to all your muscles, if you let it; it gives 
you a chance to see the country at its best, away from the beaten 
track of motors, and it gives you an opportunity to think out 
knotty problems if you are alone, and to get more thoroughly ac¬ 
quainted if you have a companion, than does any other occupation. 
If you can’t walk much during the week, dedicate your Sundays 
to a country tramp, get off before the heat of the day, and take 
along a picnic lunch. After tramping for miles in the fresh air, 
you will feel that you could eat stones, so the simplest food will 
serve. And don’t give up your plans because it is raining. Wear 
your oldest clothes and a raincoat and waterproof boots or rub¬ 
bers, and you will enjoy your walk almost as much as if the sun 
were shining. Nothing is better for your skin than walking in the 
rain. The loveliest complexions in the world are those of the 
English women, and it is said to be due largely to the climate and 
their constant exposure to rain. San Francisco has a rainy cli- 


SPORTS FOR WOMEN 


139 


mate, and the women of that city are renowned for their com- 
X>lexions. 

It is said that men and women are letting themselves change 
their point of view about growing stout, because the automobile 
is making so many people lose their figures that it is no longer in 
vogue to be slight. The sooner this idea is knocked on the head 
the better, for fat interferes with efficiency and certainly destroys 
beauty. But certain it is that motoring has made walking go out 
of style. People are defrauding themselves, if they allow this to 
be the case, and if they once start walking for the sake of their 
health and good looks, they will surely recapture the enthusiasm 
for it, and ride for convenience only, not as a substitute for pleas¬ 
ure walking. Learn to walk properly, for there is a right way and 
there is a wrong way. And the wrong way will tire you and not 
give you the benefit that the right way will give. Walking is the 
best possible antidote for fat, provided you don’t allow your re¬ 
sultant appetite to undo the good the exercise has accomplished. 
Remember, if you are stout, that you have enough surplus fat 
stored away to fall back upon, and that you wont starve even if 
you are hungry enough to eat tacks. Also remember that excess 
fat is an unhealthy condition and that in restoring your health, 
walking will destroy a possible cause of the fat. Finally, remem¬ 
ber that anyone of any age (beyond infancy) can walk, and that 
it is the most inexpensive and the easiest form of exercise. So if 
you complain that you can’t “go in” for sports because you are 
far from water, have no swimming pools, can’t dance without 
music, can’t afford to join clubs where tennis, golf, basket ball, 
hockey, and bowling are supplied, are too far south for winter 
sports, and have reached years where your dignity will not permit 
you to be too youthful in your tastes, still and always, while you 
have the use of your legs, you can walk. 

Let us venture the hope that you are convinced that there is 
some sport left in the world for you. And we hope that you will 
not leave it at that, but will try out the theory. Once tried, the 


140 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


results will convince you that it is worth while continuing. Then 
soon you will wonder why you feel so much younger and better 
and why you are arousing comment in all your friends on your 
good looks. Exercise is responsible, exercise that interests you 
as no system of movements could interest you, exercise that brings 
you into the open air, that brings you into contact with other 
people interested in wholesome things. Don’t waste time thinking 
it over. Begin to-morrow, if it is too late to-day. 

Sports have an effect on your mind as well as on your body. 
In the first place, your whole attitude towards life alters if you 
feel fit and young and vigorous. Then, when your body is in good 
working order, your mind will work better, and you will find 
that you are making headway in your business life that you did 
not make before, you think more clearly, you have gained a new 
insight into your fellow workers. There is nothing like playing 
with people to show up human nature. A yellow streak, a mean 
streak, is soon exposed in sports, and either decreased or exposed 
so that the danger is to the possessor rather than to his competi¬ 
tors. Fair play is essential to good sport, and you learn to co¬ 
ordinate your mental faculties and your moral attributes as well 
as the muscles of your body. “A clean mind in a healthy body”— 
no truer word was ever spoken. And true beauty depends on the 
clean mind as well as on the healthy body. Lack of health usually 
produces a bad disposition, a self-centered point of view, a warped 
angle of vision. All these characteristics are apt to show, if not 
in the face at once, at any rate in your dealings with your fellow 
mortals, and sooner or later in your face. So if sports can alter 
your angle toward humanity and your angle needs altering, isn’t 
that in itself sufficient reason? Now that convention sanctions 
sports for women, it is up to women to take advantage of the op¬ 
portunity, and to prove to themselves and to men that they can 
play the game as well as the next one. 


PART II 

THE HAIR 















































































































































































































































CHAPTER I 


THE CARE OF THE HAIR 

B EAUTIFUL hair frequently redeems an otherwise plain per¬ 
son from complete insignificance and raises her to a level 
almost of beauty, for hair is rightfully called “woman’s 
crowning glory.” Every woman has a right to beautiful hair, and 
can make good her claim by care and study, nine times out of ten, 
even if she has not been gifted by Nature with the hair she would 
choose. Color is a comparatively small part of hair’s beauty, for 
it is the life and vigor in the hair which give it tone, and no color 
is lovely unless it has glow. On the other hand, undertones and 
sheen give an effect of beauty where the color is nondescript. And 
it is the condition of the hair which gives the desired undertones 
and sheen. Strong healthy hair grows thick and long, and this 
too is within the power of every woman to attain. At the basis of 
beauty in hair is health of body. In contradiction to this some 
will say, “So and So has beautiful hair and is weak and sickly. 
All her strength goes to her hair.” The probability is that she 
had naturally good hair, was proud of it, and put effort into keep¬ 
ing in good condition. If she had put equal effort into improving 
her general health, she would doubtless show that she had re¬ 
serves of unsuspected strength. Of course, there are exceptions 
to every rule, but in most cases bodily health is a foundation for 
healthy hair, and by attention everyone can improve the beauty 
of her hair and stimulate its growth. 

Hair, like teeth and nails, is an evolutionary development of 
the reptile’s scales. The cells have changed their form to adapt 
themselves to their environment, and human beings have developed 
hair to protect parts of the body, teeth to use in mastication, nails 

143 


L44 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PEKSONAL BEAUTY 


to protect the ends of their fingers and toes, and to make them 
more useful; birds have developed feathers for warmth and pro¬ 
tection and for help in motion. Teeth in human beings is an in¬ 
version of the mucous membrane; hair an inversion of the skin. 
Each hair seems so fine that we feel it must have only one part, 
but there are two distinct parts: the investing or horny outer 
part, and the medulla or pithy part. And where the hair grows 
from the scalp, the formation is anything but simple. There are 
the true skin or cutis; the sweat glands, which are essential to the 
skin and hair and are placed on the scalp approximately thirty- 
eight to a square inch; the hair follicles in which are the hair 
shafts; the sebaceous glands which supply oil to the skin and 
hair; the erector muscles of whose existence we are made aware 
when fright causes the hair to “stand on end”; the papilla, an or¬ 
gan that produces hair and supplies nourishment; the fatty layer 
under the skin which contains blood vessels of the papillae. The 
hair itself has several parts, and in main these are the root, which 
is between the bulb and the skin, the shaft which, as already said, 
has two parts, and the point. There are three layers of cells in 
the hair, outside, middle and inside. If these cells are straight 
and uniform or diversified and spiral the hair is straight; if they 
have a pronounced spiral arrangement, the hair is wavy or curly. 
The type of cells varies with racial characteristics, the Indians, 
Japanese and Chinese having straight hair and the Negroes hav¬ 
ing curly hair, while other nations cover all the grades be¬ 
tween. Variation in thickness and texture is partly racial, also. 
The hair varies in length from a fraction of an inch to a yard or 
more in length. The color depends on four definite factors: the 
amount of pigment in the hair cells, the granular pigment, the 
amount of air in the hair cells, and the superficial character of 
the hair itself. The diffused pigment gives the primary color to the 
hair, ranging from light brown to dark red, while the shades are 
determined by the granular pigment. Very light hair has very 
little pigment; white hair, none. 


© c 


A section of hair 
showing its structure 
very highly magni¬ 
fied and in detail. 



1. Outer sheath layer 

2. Inner sheath layer 

3. Shaft 

4. Pigment layer 

5. Core (or medulla) 



Physical Culture Corporation 

CROSS SECTION OF THE SKIN MAGNIFIED, SHOWING THE GROWTH OF THE HAIR. 
NOS. 1 TO 5 AND 21 TO 23 DESIGNATE THE NERVES, BLOOD VESSELS, ETC., THE 
FOLLOWING KEY NUMBERS DESIGNATING THE HAIR STRUCTURES PROPER AND 
RELATED TISSUES: 


6. 

Sweat glands. 

11. 

Connective tissue fibres. 

16. 

Outside of hair 

7. 

Openings of same. 

12 . 

Cross section of same. 

17. 

Core. 

8. 

Sebaceous glands. 

13. 

Hair follicle. 

18. 

Bulb. 

9. 

Openings of same. 

14. 

Outer sheath layer. 

19. 

Papillae. 

10. 

Hair muscles. 

15. 

Tnner sheath layer. 

20. 

Shaft. 













. 







THE CAKE OF THE HAIR 


147 


A cross section of tlie hair shows it to be nearly round or 
oval or sometimes almost flat, the edge is like a saw blade, with 
overlapping cells. Long, spindle-formed cells make a cortical sub¬ 
stance suggesting fibres. These contain the pigment granules— 
pure white, gray, flaxen, golden blond, red, red-brown, light to 
dark brown, and black. Hair grows from % to % of an inch a 
month up to the length of ten to fourteen inches, when the rate 
is reduced one-half, and finally in old age, becames almost im¬ 
perceptible. The average life of a single hair varies from two to 
six years. The numbers of hairs on the head depends on the 
condition of the hair and on the texture. An average head has 
about 120,000 hairs, 1,000 to a square inch. In contour the hair 
may be circular, oval, or flattened; the more oval or flattened the 
hair is the more curly it is. The strength of hair is underrated, 
and it is ascertained by experiment, that a single hair, firmly em¬ 
bedded in the scalp, is capable of sustaining a weight of two to 
four ounces. There is a good deal of elasticity in healthy hair 
and this of course contributes to its strength. Electricity gives 
life and vigor to the hair and healthy hair has a great deal of 
electricity in it, as may be proved by combing it with a rubber 
comb. 

The hair has other uses besides beautifying. It acts as a pro¬ 
tection to the scalp, it preserves heat (as those of our male friends 
will testify when they become bald), it is an organ of touch, and it 
is certainly an additional beauty. This beauty depends on the 
color of the hair, the texture, the general character, particularly 
its natural wave, and the amount of the oily secretion, which keeps 
the hair soft and flexible, prevents its being broken or disinte¬ 
grating, and gives it lustre. 

The hair is constantly shedding, so a normal amount of hair 
comes out every day, and need give no cause for worry. In prop¬ 
erly healthy hair the rate of replacement is equal to the rate of 
loss, and early attention to this prevents later trouble which might 
cause the hair to drop out excessively. This care of the hair 


148 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


should begin in infancy. A new-born child has a substance known 
as vernix caseosa over the scalp, which must be removed at once to 
free the sweat glands. The hair should be saturated with sweet al¬ 
mond or olive oil, or white vaseline, then thoroughly cleansed 
with castile soap and warm water. Sometimes it is necessary to 
use a second application of the oil. Never use a comb on the baby’s 
scalp. Oil the scalp for a week or two and wash the hair daily 
for many weeks. Sometimes a yellow crust forms on a baby’s 
scalp. This can usually be removed by applications of vaseline 
or oil, and careful washing. If it is persistent, consult the physi¬ 
cian. Use a soft brush, and when the hair becomes thick enough 
to need a comb, a comb with teeth wide apart and rounded at the 
ends. Brushing the hair around instead of straight down encour¬ 
ages a wave in hair that has the slightest tendency to wave. Do 
not use cold water on a baby’s hair—it is too much of a shock and 
straightens the hair. Rubbing the hair with a rotary motion, 
using vaseline, is also supposed to encourage a natural curl. 

As a child grows older, the attention to the hair should not 
relax, although it should not be shampooed every day, but as 
often as is necessary to keep it in good condition. This question 
of the frequency of shampooing will be discussed in a later para¬ 
graph. Tangles should be kept out of the hair, and the child 
should be taught early in life the proper way to brush and comb 
hair and to care for the scalp. The first putting up of the hair 
should be supervised by the mother, and the most becoming and 
appropriate way decided upon. The tendency of young girls to 
“rat” their hair so as to make it stand out is disastrous for the 
hair, and must be discouraged. 

The general rules for the care of the hair, day by day, are 
of utmost importance. In the first place, see that your imple¬ 
ments are of the right kind. A comb should be made of hard 
rubber, with smooth blunt points and wide teeth. Never use a 
broken comb. Many combs are made with one part coarse and 
the other fine. Use the coarse end for combing the hair, and 



© Physical Cultv e Corpcratir-.i 

THE PROPER METHOD OF COMBING HAIR 







































. 


















































- 

V - . 























THE CARE OF THE HAIR 


151 


the fine part for arranging the hair. Never use a metal comb. It 
is essential that a comb and brush should be kept clean. A table¬ 
spoonful of ammonia in a pint of hot water is very effective. This 
discolors black rubber combs, making them slightly greenish. If 
you object to this (it is of course immaterial as far as the hair 
is concerned), washing in cool water will prevent the change of 
color, and if the comb is thoroughly scrubbed, the results are as 
good. Adults can stand a stiffer, longer bristled brush than chil¬ 
dren. The bristles should be grouped and arranged at intervals, 
with longer bristles in the centre of each group. In washing the 
brush it is advisable to put an ounce of alum to a basin of water 
in order to retain the stiffness of the bristles. Use lukewarm 
water with ammonia or borax, and wash at least twice a week. 
Dry by tying the handle of the brush to the string of the window 
shade, in an open window, so that the brush will drip down and 
the moisture not soak into the back, and so that the sun and wind 
can get at the brush on every side. A brush with a fairly long 
handle and a narrow back is best for the hair. The length of the 
bristles should vary with the kind of hair. A great many people 
have two brushes, a stiff one for removing dandruff and stimulat¬ 
ing the scalp, and a softer one for polishing the hair. You should 
have an ample supply of hairpins of different kinds—bone, wire 
both heavy and light-weight, invisible hairpins, and nets if your 
hair needs them. In choosing hair nets get ones that match your 
hair, that are made of fine hair, and that are plenty large enough, 
as a tight hair net pulls the hair and is unbecoming. 

It is necessary to know how to comb and brush the hair 
properly, as wrong treatment breaks the hair unnecessarily and 
does the scalp no good. The theory that brushing is bad for the 
hair is a fad at present, but one that doubtless will pass. Brush¬ 
ing polishes the hair, increases the lustre, and helps the circula¬ 
tion in the scalp. First divide the hair into strands. Then, twist¬ 
ing the strand around the finger, take out the snarls below the 
twist with a comb. This prevents the possibility of pulling the 



152 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


hair from the roots, and enables you to get the snarls out little 
by little without breaking the hair. Having removed all the 
tangles, you should brush the hair thoroughly, starting from the 
scalp, and brushing with even, rythmic strokes. Hair that comes 
out in brushing is probably ready to come out and if it comes root 
and all there is another new hair ready to take its place. Hair 
that is regularly brushed, fifty strokes a day, keeps clean and 
glossy and vigorous. Where other treatments fail, brushing fre¬ 
quently cures dandruff, by stimulating the circulation and the 
action of the sebaceous glands. Incidentally, brushing the hair 
is excellent exercise for the arms and the muscles of the shoulders. 
Make this daily brushing part of your preparation for bed, then 
braid your hair lightly so as to keep it from snarling. If your hair 
does not tangle easily, it is excellent for it to be loose at night. 

The question of shampooing hair is one that has almost as 
many answers as there are hair specialists. Some argue that 
your hair accumulates as much dust and dirt or more than your 
face, that it should be shampooed every week or even more fre¬ 
quently. Others go to the other extreme and advocate washing 
the hair very rarely, saying that too frequent washing dries the 
oil out, makes the hair brittle, and affects the color. Certain it is 
that hair washed off the head (switches, for example) changes 
in color with frequent washing, but this is due to the fact that 
the connection with the pigment is broken. However, one fre¬ 
quently sees hair that is distinctly lighter at the ends than at 
the roots, and this more often in the hair of people who wash it 
every week. There seems to be a happy medium for normal hair, 
every three weeks appears to be enough to keep the hair in good 
condition. If hair is very oily it needs to be washed much more 
often, especially if it is light, for the oil catches the dirt, and 
discolors the hair, besides making it heavy and hard to arrange. 
Very dry hair keeps clean for a long time, if the hair is well 
brushed and the scalp cleaned between washings with a dry sham¬ 
poo. In summer, excessive perspiration makes more frequent 


THE CARE OF THE HAIR 


153 


shampooing important. Sun baths help counteract the rancid 
odor from perspiration, and should be indulged in much more 
frequently than they are. The sun and air impart richness and 
color and life to the hair, and are especially important after sham¬ 
pooing, and particularly for people who wear false hair of any 
kind. Do not let the sun strike your hair for too long at a time, 
as the bleaching is very bad for the hair. Loosen the hair and 
sit where moderate sunlight strikes it, and move often enough so 
that it penetrates every part of the hair. 

Before shampooing the hair, select your soap with utmost 
care. Tar soaps, pure Castile, any good vegetable oil soaps—these 
are all good for normal hair. Avoid any soap containing alkali 
or animal fats. For oily hair a tincture of green soap is good. 
The soap may be shaved and boiled down to make a jelly. In this 
form it is very easy to apply. Some people like an egg shampoo 
and this excellent recipe, for the preparation is prescribed by a 
well-known specialist: 

Egg Shampoo 

White Castile soap, 4 ounces, 

Hot water, 1 pint. Gool and add 
1 egg well beaten, 

1 tablespoon alcohol, 

4 ounces bay rum, 

A pinch of borax. 

Blond hair should be washed with lemon soaj) or with Castile 
soap jelly containing one-quarter of a tablespoonful of borax or 
bicarbonate of soda. This applies also to gray hair. The jelly 
is made with a quart of water to a cake of the soap. 

Comb and brush the hair thoroughly before shampooing. 
Then part the hair and apply the soap jelty, or the suds. Do not 
put the piece of soap against the scalp—it cakes against the skin. 
Apply jelly or soap with a small brush or with a small sponge, 
parting the hair until the soap has covered the scalp. Then wash 
it out with very hot water, and go through the same process again. 


154 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


The theory is that the first soaping “cuts the grease/ 5 the second 
is then easier to rinse out thoroughly. Rinse the hair until the 
last rinsing water is absolutely clear. Do not use very cold water 
on wavy hair, as it straightens the natural wave. The only reason 
for ending with cold water in any case, is that it stimulates the 
circulation so that the danger of catching cold is slight. Thorough 
massage accomplishes the same purpose. Wrap the head in warm 
towels and press out the surface water. Then dry the separate 
strands from the roots down, with warm towels. Use the fingers 
as a comb to separate the strands. Dry the scalp thoroughly by 
a massage with the finger tips. Commence at the front of the head 
and work back. Use a rotary motion with the tips of the fingers. 
The directions for massaging the scalp, hair pulling, loosening 
the skin and so on will apply here, as they are particularly effica¬ 
cious after shampooing. Do not arrange the hair until it is 
thoroughly dry, particularly if the hair is curly, as brushing wet 
hair takes out the natural wave. 

Scalp massage is splendid for stimulating the growth of the 
hair, for strengthening the hair, and for preventing many of the 
common troubles with hair. It should be done for five minutes 
night and morning, to keep the scalp in good condition. The simple 
hand massage with the finger tips, described above, is excellent. 
Hair pulling is effective for removing loose hair, thus making way 
for new hair, and preventing the hair from dying in the scalp. If 
this happens and the hair then drops out, the root is killed and 
the new hair does not grow. Hair pulling after a shampoo gives 
a wave and lustre to the hair. Insert the spread fingers like a 
comb; then close them tightly and pull gently but firmly on the 
hair. Repeat this process until the scalp is covered. Pinching 
the skin and moving the scalp back and forth is another effective 
form of massage. The scalp should not be tight and close to the 
head. Press the scalp together with the finger tips over the part. 
Continue from forehead to crown with both hands, then over the 
sides of the head with your fingers. Mechanical and electrical 



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THE CARE OF THE HAIR 


157 


massage may be done by professionals after a shampoo, or by 
some member of your family, if yon have the apparatus. Violet 
ray is splendidly stimulating. A vibrator with a broad, soft rub¬ 
ber disk is good for the circulation. 

A dry shampoo should be used between ordinary shampoos. 
This process cleans the scalp and gives a form of massage that is 
excellent for the hair. Part the hair and rub the scalp vigorously 
with a bit of muslin over the finger tip. If the hair is oily, moisten 
the scalp with alcohol. It is far better not to use cornmeal, orris 
root powders or any of the preparations that are made for 
dry shampoo, as it is difficult to get them out of the hair, and if 
any is left in, it clogs the pores and interferes with the natural 
action of the glands. 

Another excellent home treatment, and one that may be used 
alone or in connection with a shampoo, is hot and cold applica¬ 
tions. This is particularly good if the hair is falling out, if bald 
spots are appearing, or if the scalp seems to be in a bad condition. 
Wrap the head in a cloth which has been soaked and then wrung 
out in water as hot as you can stand. Then, when the heat has 
almost gone, change to a cloth that has been wet in cold water. 
Alternate from three to six times. The hot water draws the blood 
to the surface, the cold drives it back, thus creating a local stimu¬ 
lant to the circulation. If this is done in connection with a sham¬ 
poo, it is easier to dip the head into a basin of hot water for about 
thirty seconds, and then transfer to a basin of cold water. 

Heat is an important factor in stimulation, but wrongly used 
it can do great harm. For example, the method employed in many 
hair-dressing establishments, of drying the hair with “hot air 
cones/’ is ruinous for the hair, drying the hair itself and the scalp. 
Always insist on having your hair dried by hand. The massage 
involved in hand drying is reason enough, aside from the fact 
that the other form of drying is bad for the hair. 

Gray hair needs especially careful treatment. This is true 
for various reasons. First of all hair that is turning gray pre- 


158 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PEKSONAL BEAUTY 


maturely may sometimes have the change retarded by constant 
care, and by keeping the scalp in excellent condition. The funda- 
mental.causes are not thoroughly understood. Worry, ill health, 
chronic headaches, nervous strain of any kind, severe illnesses in¬ 
volving fever—all these contribute to premature whitening of 
the hair. White hair after middle age is a distinction, if it is the 
right kind of white hair, and arranged well and kept in good 
condition. But no one wants to be gray at thirty. Occasionally, 
there are recorded authentic cases of hair turning white over 
night or within a very brief space of time from a sudden shock or 
grief. There are other cases of periodically recurring grayness, 
lasting only a few hours. And certainly, no matter what is said 
to the contrary, the tendency to turn gray in youth runs in fami¬ 
lies. Keep your hair in good condition. Then, if it turns gray any¬ 
how, make the most of it, and realize that white hair is effective 
and very stunning, especially if the face is young. 

The question of dyeing hair is treated in another chapter, but 
a word to the wise at this point is not amiss. Do not dye your 
hair at all; but if you must, try not to dye it so that it is obvious. 
Nature should be imitated, not outstripped at her own game. It 
is, however, far better to work towards helping your hair turn 
the kind of gray you want, since you cannot stop its turning, than 
to change it to some color which Nature never intended you to 
have. If you find that your hair is taking on that ugly yellowish 
tinge, try rinsing it every week with a solution of purple ink or 
of blueing. Make the solution just as you would for rinsing white 
clothes, saturate the hair thoroughly, and then dry off the excess. 
The use of sage tea is an old-fashioned remedy which has proved 
its efficacy in many cases through many years. Steep a teaspoon¬ 
ful of sage leaves in a cup of water. Use as you would a tonic, 
dipping the finger tips in the tea and rubbing the solution well 
into the hair. Absolute cleanliness, frequent shampoos, and con¬ 
stant care of the scalp will do more to keep the hair from turning 
than any other means. 



DRY SHAMPOO KEEPS THE SCALP IN GOOD CONDITION 



















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THE CARE OF THE HAIR 


161 


Split ends are a frequent and easily remedied trouble with 
the hair. It usually comes in hair that is very dry, and further 
splitting will be prevented by treating the hair as described in 
the chapter on Common Diseases of the Hair and Scalp. But 
the local treatment of split ends is rather a question of Care of 
the Hair, so should be treated here. Repeated clipping at inter¬ 
vals of every two weeks, over three or four months, will strengthen 
the ends of the hair, and get rid of the split part. Take off about 
half an inch each time you clip. Do not cut a strand at a time, 
but carefully comb and brush the hair and then gather it together 
and clip across the ends. Another method of getting at the split 
ends is to wind a strand firmly, then rough the ends with the hand, 
and then cut the split ends. This roughing of the ends exposes 
the split hair, so that you can get at them more easily. Do not 
try singeing the ends. This accomplishes nothing, and is merely 
an excuse for the hairdresser to get more money out of you. A 
method employed by a well-known English hairdresser has proved 
effective in the question of split hair. The tips are soaked in a 
shallow bath of olive oil, twice a week, then dried with a Warm 
towel, and braided loosely to prevent tangling. 

Tonics are of use rather for special troubles with the hair 
than for general use. And in all cases, probably the biggest thing 
accomplished is the stimulation of the circulation from the mas¬ 
sage incidental to the application of the tonic. But there are 
some lotions that help the circulation by their stimulating proper¬ 
ties. An excellent lotion of this kind is the following: 

Tincture of Cantharides, V/ 2 ounce, 

Tincture of Capsicum, V/ 2 ounce, 

Castor Oil, 2 drams, 

Cologne water, 1 ounce. 

Brush this lotion into the scalp every day for a week, then oc¬ 
casionally. A word of warning must be added concerning the use 
of this lotion, however: use it very sparingly. 

The treatment of dry hair, oily hair, dandruff, parasitic con- 


162 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


ditions and baldness, is given in the next chapter. If the trouble 
is extreme, it is advisable to consult a specialist along these lines, 
not a hairdresser. Trouble is frequently increased by trying first 
one method and then another, and a scalp specialist will discover 
the real trouble and get at the root of it without unnecessary 
waste of time. 

Unfortunately, hairdressers and shampooers have their own 
axe to grind, and frequently do this at the expense of their pa¬ 
trons. They make certain soaps, salves, ointments, tonic, lotions, 
and so on; it is natural that they should recommend them for your 
particular trouble. This applies to shampooing, as well. If they 
had the courage to face the outcry that the public would make, 
they would recommend daily shampooing, in all probability. The 
few who recommend infrequent shampooing, insist on frequent 
treatments, to take the place of the shampoo. So always take 
their advice with a grain of salt. And be sure they are not trying 
experiments on you to the detriment of your own hair. Insist on 
hand drying, and if you have any qualms about very hot water (it 
nauseates some people), don’t hesitate to say so. More harm is 
done by people standing unnecessary things than you can well 
imagine. Know your own mind, and don’t let your shampooer 
bully you into first a special treatment of the scalp, then a sham¬ 
poo, then a violet ray, then wholesale purchasing of tonics, lotions, 
and ointments. In excess it is good neither for your hair nor 
for your pocket book. I do not mean to condemn unheard the rank 
and file of hairdressers, but I have experienced these “hold-up” 
methods too often to want to encourage them. 

Far more important than the occasional treatments given at 
the hairdressers are the daily treatments given at home. If you 
cannot treat your hair and scalp night and morning, treat it at 
night; if you cannot do it every night, do it every other night. 
Even once a week is better than not at all. And remember that 
well-groomed, well-kept hair is within the power of everyone. 
Don’t accept lusterless, drab hail* as a cross that you must bear. 



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THE CAKE OF THE HAIR 


165 


You needn’t—you shouldn’t. You may claim that the hair of abo¬ 
rigines is surpassed by civilized nations for thickness and beauty. 
And yet they never wash their hair, far less massage their scalps. 
The secret is that they live in the open air, they do not wear close- 
fitting hats, they do not cover their natural hair with false fronts 
or break it with wire hairpins. It is an interesting fact that 
primitive people have better hair and curlier hair than civilized 
people. A few generations ago, our own race had more curly- 
haired people than now. And even in these days, the children of 
the slums, whose standard of living is lower than our own, boast 
curlier hair than the children of the ultra-civilized. This is not 
an argument for going back to lower grades of civilization. It is 
simply a statement of fact. 

A word in closing about hats. Tight hats do a great deal of 
harm, both by interfering with the circulation, and by shutting- 
out air from the hair. That is the chief reason that men get bald 
more frequently than women. In choosing a hat, insist on its 
being large enough to be perfectly comfortable, and upon its being 
porous enough to allow air to get through to the hair. This is, 
perhaps, impossible in winter. Make up for it by giving your 
hair sun and air baths, and allowing it to hang loose, occasionally. 





© Underwood & Underwood 

LUXURIANT GROWTH CHARACTERIZES HAIR OF THE 
ABORIGINES 



















CHAPTER II 


COMMON DISEASES OF THE HAIR AND SCALP 


P ROBABLY those of you—and your name is legion—who have 
trouble of one kind or another with your hair and scalp will 
object strenuously to having that particular trouble classed 
as a “disease,” and yet all forms of unhealthy conditions are in real¬ 
ity diseases. Call them by their true name and you will take them 
more seriously, and work harder to correct the conditions which 
cause them. And most of these conditions are corrected with 
comparative ease, if you make up your mind to be persistent in 
caring for your hair and scalp as they should be cared for and in 
giving the special treatments recommended for your special 
trouble. Anyone who has dandruff, or scaly scalp, or oily hair, 
or any of the other usual troubles should realize how much better 
looking she would be if she got her hair into a proper condition 
of health, how much simpler life would be if her hair went up 
without any difficulty, for dry hair will lose its lustre and look 
drab, and oily hair will go into ugly strings and catch all the 
flying dust and spoil the general appearance. 

Sometimes your particular disease is the result of illness. 
Fever dries out the fatty layer, consuming it to feed its flames, so 
to speak, and that is why after fever the hair falls out in handfuls, 
for the hair draws its nutriment from the fatty layer. The res¬ 
toration of this fatty layer is essential to the restoration of 
the hair, so the proper nutriment of the scalp must be restored. 
Certain sexual diseases, primarily syphilis, cause loss of hair, 
for the poison affects the general nutrition, and through this the 
local nutrition. Some skin diseases not only diminish the supply 
of nutriment but actually destroy the tissues. So once again let 

109 


170 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


me reiterate the importance of a general condition of bodily health 
as a basis for health of hair. The same fundamental rules of 
health apply here—normal, healthy diet, regular exercise, air, 
sun, and plenty of sleep. So don’t expect, by local care, to correct 
a condition which is caused in the first place by a breakdown of 
the general health. The hair is one of the least important of the 
appendages of the body, so is sacrificed first in Nature’s demand 
for more nutrition. The fatty tissue that feeds the hair is used 
for feeding the vital organs, and the hair goes. Build up the sys¬ 
tem, and at the same time concentrate your attention particularly 
on the demands of your hair, and you will regain your normal 
condition of health and restore a healthy condition of the scalp 
and hair. You will feel better, and you will look better. 

Dandruff is, perhaps, the commonest disease of the hair, and 
the one that is most unpleasantly apparent to the casual observer. 
It is a noninflammatory disease, in which the scalp throws off a 
horny layer. When this layer gets thick it forms crusts, or cakes, 
and stops up the pores, causing diminution in the supply of oil, 
and an unhealthy condition due to the inability of the perspira¬ 
tory glands to throw off waste matter. The hair becomes dull 
and lusterless, and is frequently powdered with a fine white sub¬ 
stance. When this becomes excessive it falls on the coat or dress, 
a most unprepossessing state of affairs. Then the hair begins to 
come out perceptibly, and there is a good deal of irritation and 
itching. Scratching results in tearing of the scalp and blood 
crusts form. The whole scalp presents an appearance of ill health, 
being dull white in color and incrusted with this scaly substance. 
Of course, I am picturing the disease in extreme form, but fre¬ 
quently it begins in a very mild form, and continues almost 
throughout life, unless properly treated. Any disease that lowers 
the general health or increases the toxic products in the blood 
may start the trouble; and any digestive disturbance is likely to 
increase it. Some doctors claim that it is a germ disease, and com¬ 
municable through barber shops, hair-dressing establishments, 


COMMON DISEASES OF THE HAIR AND SCALP 171 


and so on. Doubtless, it has a germ origin, but in most cases it 
is probably not caught through these agencies. A person troubled 
with dandruff, however, should never use another person’s comb 
or brush. Local irritation of the scalp by use of wire brushes, or 
sharp combs, dyes, hair restorers, and shampoos containing ex¬ 
cess of free alkali, all these may be causes of dandruff. 

The first step, as stated above, is to buildup the general health. 
At the same time, be more than ever particular about the daily care 
of the scalp and cleanliness. Careful massage and vigorous brush¬ 
ing often work wonders, without the assistance of special treat¬ 
ment, especially if the condition is recognized in the early stages. 
A treatment that is successful in many cases is the crude oil treat¬ 
ment. Put the oil into a saucer, dip the finger tips into the oil, and 
then massage the scalp thoroughly, using a rotary movement, and 
going from the front to the back of the head. Be careful not to get 
the oil on the hair, not that it would do any harm, but that the 
odor is very penetrating and the substance gives the hair an oily, 
unattractive appearance. Do this every night for a week, and 
then shampoo the hair and dry it in the sunlight. Soap contain¬ 
ing vegetable oils are particularly good for a dandruffy condition. 
Bichloride soap is also good—use the one or two per cent. soap. 
Nightly massage with cocoanut or olive oil, or vaseline, with fre¬ 
quent shampoos, gives excellent results. The night before a 
shampoo, massage the head thoroughly, then wrap it in a towel, to 
protect the pillow, and to concentrate the effect of the oil. Be care¬ 
ful not to leave oil on long enough to get rancid. There is a form 
of liquid vaseline which is very easy to apply and very effective. 

Sulphur is a very quick and successful aid in getting rid of 
the germ. It may be applied in the form of an ointment or sulphur 
cream. To make it more effective, add two or three per cent of 
salicylic acid, or resorcin. A pomade* that has proved very effi- 

*This and several other formulae in this chapter are reprinted from “Hair Culture,’’ by 
Bernarr Macfadden, by permission of the publishers, Physical Culture Corporation, New 
York. 



172 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 

cacious can be put up by a druggist or at home, if you have the 
materials: 

Precipitated sulphur, 1 dram, 

Lanolin, 2^4 drams, 

Glycerin, 2*4 drams, 

Rose water, 2 drams, 

Soap, 10 grains. 

Rub into the scalp, after a thorough shampoo, and repeat once or 
twice a week. 

To treat the hair itself is of course, not a cure, but if it is 
desirable to give a polish and lustre to the hair it is possible to 
have a local oil treatment. Put a few drops of the oil in the hand, 
then rub the brush over the hand and brush the hair with long, 
regular strokes. Some people apply the oil by rubbing the strands 
of hair between the palms, but this is apt to give the hair too much 
oil and to cause an appearance of greasiness which is more un¬ 
attractive than the dryness. 

Ordinarily, dandruff is a condition found in dry scalps, but 
sometimes people have what is called “oily dandruff.” Then, of 
course, the treatment for the scalp is different, and is considered 
under oily hair. But one point may be made here. The more oily 
the scalp, the more frequent is the necessity for shampooing. In 
mild cases of oily dandruff, once a week is sufficient to bring about 
the results. But in severe cases, you should shampoo the head 
every day for a while, until results are apparent. In shampooing 
use a tincture of green soap. Green soap, by the way, is a name 
for a special kind of soap, and is not in any way descriptive of the 
soap itself. It is sort of an amber color. Its high alcoholic ten¬ 
dency is excellent for oily conditions, and very bad for dry scalps, 
so do not use it if your dandruff is of the dry variety. 

The condition of a dry, scaly scalp, frequently accompanies 
dandruff, but is even more frequently seen before a dandruffy con¬ 
dition develops. If taken in the first stage you will prevent the 
development of dandruff very often. It is produced by an over- 


COMMON DISEASES OF THE HAIR AND SCALP 173 

acid condition of the system, and the sufferer should follow the 
diets prescribed for this condition. Overindulgence in meat, cof¬ 
fee, candy, sugars, condiments, white breads, and grains without 
their coatings must be avoided, as all these foods aggravate acid¬ 
ity. A regular diet, with perhaps a programme of raw fruit and 
milk for a few days, will go a long way towards correcting the con¬ 
dition. Systematic care of the hair and scalp, nightly massage 
with olive oil or vaseline, and the use of the following ointment on 
alternate nights will go far towards getting rid of excessive dry¬ 
ness. 

White Vaseline, 3 ounces, 

Castor Oil, 154 ounces, 

Gallic Acid, 1^4 drams, 

Oil of Lavender, 30 drops. 

A good general tonic which may be rubbed in with the finger tips 
and used in place of the plain vaseline is made by adding 15 
grains of powdered quinine to one ounce of vaseline. Another oint¬ 
ment recommended for scaty scalps is the following: 

Beta Naptha, 30 grains, 

Vaseline, 54 ounce, 

Oil of Bergamot, 30 minims. 

In shampooing the hair if the scalp has a tendency to dryness, do 
not add borax to the water or use salts for softening the water or 
scented salts for scenting the hair. All these things tend to dry 
the scalp, though they give the hair a fluffy appearance, and may 
be used advantageously if there is a tendency towards excess oil 
in the scalp and hair. 

Frequently, people mistake the tiny scales due to a dry scalp 
for dandruff, and spine specialists claim that dandruff is simply 
an aggravation of a dry, scaly condition. In any case, the condi¬ 
tion is one to be avoided, and it seldom occurs when a person is in 
good health and gives daily care to the scalp. Regular massage 
will, in most cases, prevent this condition from starting. Do not 
wash your hair too frequently if you have a tendency towards dry¬ 
ness of the scalp, as it undoubtedly increases this condition, and 


174 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


though it removes the surface scaliness, it does not get at the root 
of the matter, and may only make it worse. 

Oily hair may not lead to such extremes as dry hair, but it is 
even more trying for the person so afflicted, for it makes the hair 
heavy and stringy and exceedingly difficult to arrange; it catches 
every particle of flying dust that touches it, making frequent 
shampoos a necessity; and it stains the inside of a hat and leaves 
a peculiar, rancid odor. It usually goes with an oily skin, and the 
cause is in an abnormal condition of the general system. Some¬ 
times such a condition will cause a dry, scaly scalp; sometimes 
an oily scalp. Faulty elimination is a frequent cause of oiliness, 
and correction of this brings about a normally healthy condition 
and reacts on the scalp condition. Sun and air baths for the scalp 
and hair are very advantageous. Separate the hair into strands, 
parting it first in one place, then in another, so as to permit the 
sun to strike every part. This stimulates the scalp, and improves 
the local condition. Shampoo the hair frequently, and use very 
cold water in rinsing, as this stimulates the circulation. Massage, 
if overvigorous, aggravates oiliness, so the use of cold water can 
to a certain extent, take its place. Gentle massage and loosening 
of the scalp are, however, always helpful, no matter what the 
peculiar condition. Electric massage is often found very effective. 

If the trouble is very persistent, use some tonic with an alco¬ 
hol base, as the alcohol has a drying effect, and eats up the oil. 
It is dangerous to use this in excess as it may bring the opposite 
condition, a dry scalp. Therefore, if such tonics are used at all, 
they should be used for a very short time. A good tonic for this 
condition and one that is not likely to promote the other extreme 
is made as follows. 

Resorcin, 40 grains, 

Water, y 2 ounce, 

Witch Hazel, 1 ounce. 

These general rules in regard to tonics wiU help you determine 
what tonics to avoid rather than what tonic your particular trou- 



© Underwood & Underwood 

A SIMPLE COIFFURE INCREASES YOUTHFUL CHARM 























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COMMON DISEASES OF THE HAIR AND SCALP 177 


ble requires. It is best to consult a specialist before using strin¬ 
gent methods to correct any serious trouble with the hair or scalp. 

For oily hair use a dry tonic. 

For dry hair use a grease or liquid tonic. 

For coarse hair use a tonic to liven it. 

For blond hair do not use an oil tonic. 

Baldness is a condition more frequently found in men than in 
women, due, as I have already stated, to wearing of hats that in¬ 
terfere with the circulation in the scalp and that prevent proper 
ventilation; and also to the fact that women have more fatty 
tissue to nourish the hair than men, and take better care of the 
hair, brushing it more carefully and treating it for particular 
troubles more promptly. A certain amount of falling is essential 
to the growth of the hair, for new hair must come in, and the fall¬ 
ing of the old hair makes place for the new. So do not be wor¬ 
ried if your hair seems to be coming out, with increase at special 
seasons; there is cause for worry only if the falling is excessive, 
and the new hair does not seem to be coming in as rapidly as it 
should. 

Any method for strengthening the condition of the scalp, 
nourishing the tissue, stimulating the circulation, and promoting 
the general health of the scalp will do much towards preventing 
excessive falling of the hair, and stopping that falling after it has 
begun. Build up your general health by regulating your diet to 
counteract any acid tendency which may account for loss of the 
hair. The exclusive diet of milk and fruit, recommended for a. 
dry, scaly scalp is excellent for this purpose. The five to ten min¬ 
ute daily massage, using the rotary movement with the finger tips 
helps this falling condition. To loosen the scalp place the palms 
of the hands flat on the scalp, with the finger tips one inch apart, 
pash the hands toward each other so that the scalp is pushed up 
between the fingers. Hair-pulling, such as described in the previ¬ 
ous chapter, strengthens the hair, and gets rid of the loose hair 


178 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


so that new can take its place, and prevents hair dying from the 
roots, a condition that is fatal to renewal. Brush the hair vigor¬ 
ously. Have violet ray massage, if it is available, or mechanical 
vibratory massage with an electric vibrator. It is easy to procure 
the apparatus for either violet ray or vibration and use it in your 
own home, and it is not very expensive, and is useful for other 
things than hair treatments. The violet ray stimulates nutrition, 
overcomes local toxemia, helps get rid of waste matter, and coun¬ 
teracts any tendency to oily scalp. It is one of the most success¬ 
ful and effective forms of electric treatment, and helps almost all 
abnormal scalp conditions. The hot and cold applications, recom¬ 
mended previously, are particularly good for falling hair. 

If the trouble persists, do not hesitate to consult a hair spe¬ 
cialist, as well as your physician. The condition should not be al¬ 
lowed to continue, as whatever causes it is undermining your 
health as well as making baldness an imminent possibility. It 
may be necessary to cut the hair, and in these days of the popular¬ 
ity of bobbed hair, that is no longer a hardship and a disfigure¬ 
ment. This enables one to get at the scalp more effectively, and 
by concentrating the nourishing of the hair on the shorter hair 
there seems to result a rapid thickening of the hair. Cutting is of 
value where hair is very fine and difficult to arrange, for just as 
shaving coarsens the down of a boy into the stiff beard of a man, 
so cutting the hair gives it more body and makes it seem thicker 
even when there is no more hair actually there. 

There are a great many tonics recommended for falling hair 
and baldness, but, as I said before, the chief value in most tonics 
is the stimulation of the scalp affected by the rubbing in of the 
tonic, rather than by the tonic itself. If you decide to use a tonic, 
use one recommended by your physician for your hair, not one ad¬ 
vertised as a cure-all for every conceivable trouble with the hair. 
Such a tonic is an impossibility, unless it has nothing in it but 
water, and counts on the rubbing to do the work. The tendency to 
baldness is inherited; a father who lost his hair prematurely 


COMMON DISEASES OF THE HAIR AND SCALP 179 


should be particularly careful in insisting that his sons take good 
care of their hair from childhood. Prevention is far better than 
cure, and in most cases of premature baldness, the cause is neglect 
of the hair in youth. 

The prevalence of parasitic diseases of the scalp is appalling 
among people who live in unsanitary, unclean surroundings, as 
any social worker can tell you. This condition is, unfortunately, 
communicable, and many innocent people suffer from it by unwit¬ 
ting contact. Children get parasites from other children and from 
servants; grown people get them from trying on hats, from rub¬ 
bing the head against the back of a seat in a train, from sleeping 
on pillows in small country hotels where daily change of bed 
clothes is not considered essential, and in many other ways. The 
habit of putting a hat under your seat in the theatre or motion 
picture houses is very apt to have dire results. Parasites take 
refuge in hair that is not scrupulously clean, and, so experi¬ 
ence seems to prove, in dark hair rather than light. This is not 
a hard and fast rule, but it is true in the majority of cases. One 
thing is absolutely certain. The germ which causes the disease 
must be destroyed before the condition can be cured, or even rem¬ 
edied, for parasites propagate with alarming rapidity, and thrive 
under all conditions, once they are firmly installed. Cleanliness 
and care are the chief preventives, but they are* not cures. The 
cure is, inevitably, a distinct antiseptic treatment. 

One of the most common of these parasitic diseases is favus, 
which is characterized by the formation of yellow crusts on the 
scalp, bald spots, a queer mousey odor, and terrible itching. It is 
prevalent among children of the poorer districts, and is encoun¬ 
tered by workers in the settlements, the playgrounds, and the 
public schools in tenement districts. It is very important for 
social workers and teachers to know how to cure this condition. 
The children should remain at home for a few days, and soak the 
whole scalp in olive oil, with the addition of three per cent, 
strength salicylic or carbolic acid, if the case is extreme. Occa- 

8 


180 GUIDE TO HEALTH AM) PERSONAL BEAUTY 


sionally, it is necessary to pull the hair out in the worst infected 
places, and to apply antiseptic solution. After the scalp is thor¬ 
oughly soaked in the oil, the crusts can be removed, and the hair 
thoroughly shampooed with some antiseptic soap. 

A much more difficult parasite to get rid of is ringworm. This 
is communicated by use of common property combs and brushes 
and by the patent hair clipper. This disease may cause perma¬ 
nent baldness, for the parasites work their way down into the skin 
and attack the hair follicles. Frequent washings with bichloride 
soap and painting with tincture of iodine, followed by the use of 
an ointment called purific has proved effective in most cases. The 
sulphur ointment recommended for curing dandruff is a satisfac¬ 
tory substitute for purific. 

But the most repulsive of the parasites and possibly the most 
common are the head lice. Fortunately, their presence is easily 
recognized, and they are easily got rid of. It should be a hard 
and fast rule in every school or every regular gathering of chil¬ 
dren that no child suffering from this disease should be allowed 
to remain, and any child found with it should be sent home, with 
full instructions for getting rid of it, and orders not to return 
until this is accomplished. There are many methods of accom¬ 
plishing this, and probably the quickest and most effective is the 
use of crude petroleum or common kerosene oil mixed with sweet 
oil. Saturate the hair at night, and wrap the head in a towel to 
hold in the fumes. Repeat this treatment the following night, and 
then shampoo the hair with hot water and antiseptic soap. The 
lice will be killed and the “nits,” or eggs, prevented from hatching 
out. To insure the death of any “nits” that may hatch, the scalp 
should be wet with kerosene for several days following the treat¬ 
ment. To get rid of the dead lice, the hair should be combed out 
with a fine tooth comb, and care should be taken to remove all 
traces from the scalp, without injuring the scalp itself. There 
are other things that are as effective as crude petroleum, but not 
always so easy to procure. Tincture of fishberries and ether are 


COMMON DISEASES OF THE HAIR AND SCALP 181 


very good, but more expensive. However, the crude petroleum 
sometimes makes the hair very oily for some time afterwards, and 
the fishberries and ether preparations do not have this effect. 

You will see that all these diseases are due to carelessness and 
uncleanliness, on the part of someone—unfortunately, not always 
on the part of the sufferer. If this were true, the spread would be 
more limited, and more easily prevented. After having once suf¬ 
fered from any of these troubles, the warning to prevent their re¬ 
turn by care and cleanliness w r ill scarcely be necessary, for the 
unpleasantness connected with them should insure anyone against 
putting the head into that particular noose again. After suffer¬ 
ing from any one of these diseases and curing it, be sure that your 
hats are thoroughly fumigated and cleaned, so that there will be 
no possibility of reinfection. People working with children who 
are afflicted with these diseases should be very careful to keep 
their own hair especially clean, to wear close-fitting caps when 
treating the children’s heads, and to watch for any signs of infec¬ 
tion. Even with all possible precautions, contagion is sometimes 
inevitable. The war brought body lice and head lice before the 
public most prominently, and proved how much trouble they could 
make. 

Except for parasitic diseases, it is clear that practically all 
troubles with the scalp or hair are due to physical causes prima¬ 
rily, and are but another reason for stressing the importance of 
bodily health and a normal, regular life if you wish to make the 
most of your beauty and to enhance it. Also, it is clear that regu¬ 
lar care of the hair and scalp will prevent most of the diseases that 
are common among all people, and that it is not enough to treat 
your hair once a week to keep it in the best condition, but it is 
essential to give it daily treatments. Five minutes a day is more 
effective than thirty-five minutes once a week. Finally, let me 
repeat: start caring for the hair in childhood, and you will insure 
luxuriant, beautiful hair in later life, and will not be apt to run 
the risk of baldness unless you are ill. 



4 






CHAPTER III 


SUPERFLUOUS HAIR 

W HILE hair in its proper place is an attribute of beauty, 
hair out of place is a source of worry and distress to any¬ 
one so afflicted. It is comparatively unusual, to any great 
extent, but in slight degree is very common. Of course, I am not 
referring to superfluous hair on men, for they naturally have a 
great deal more hair everywhere on their bodies than do women; 
I mean hair on the faces of women, particularly the chin, the upper 
lip, and occasionally the sides of the face; hair on the arms, the 
underarms, and the legs. Of course the face occasions most dis¬ 
tress, and it is there that most serious consideration should be 
given to removal of superfluous hair. What causes it is not very 
clearly understood. Probably it is something in the nature of a 
“throw back'’ to our primitive ancestors, is frequently an inher¬ 
ited tendency, handed down from the parents to the child, and is 
almost impossible to prevent. The theory that using soap and 
cold cream on the face promotes growth is not well founded; the 
use of oils or vaseline might do so, consequently, it is well to use 
the so-called vanishing creams where hairy growth is apt to be¬ 
come obnoxious. 

Depilatories are not permanent in effect. This I say with the 
reservation that there may be some depilatories that discourage 
the growth of superfluous hair and eventually decrease it, with¬ 
out harming the skin. But most depilatories that contain chem¬ 
icals strong enough to destroy the hair will hurt the skin. At best 
it is really only a deep shaving, and the hair returns in the same 
quantity, and, in many cases, in greater quantity, coarser and 

183 


184 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


darker. So be sure of your depilatory before experimenting. And 
use it on your arms and legs before you try it on your face. 

The X-ray treatment destroys the roots of the hair, which is 
the only way to destroy the hair itself, but at the same time de¬ 
stroys glands of the skin, so should never be used. Electrolysis 
is the only thoroughly satisfactory method of destroying hair, and 
this has limited possibilities, and should be used only for a mod¬ 
erate number of rather coarse hairs, not for a large number of 
long, fine hairs. Electrolysis destroys the papilla and is assuredly 
permanent in its affect. The first application is not always com¬ 
pletely successful, and there is frequently a return of from twenty 
to fifty per cent, of the hairs, so the face has to be gone over sev¬ 
eral times to insure the complete removal. It is a slow, expensive 
process, and must be done by an expert, in which case no scars will 
form, or if any, they will be so tiny as to be practically imper¬ 
ceptible. Be sure of vour operator. 

Salts of barium are advocated by some as an effective depila¬ 
tory, but had best not be used. It is possible to make the hair 
very much less noticeable, and eventually to render it scarcely 
perceptible by using the following simple remedy each night, ap¬ 
plying it with absorbent cotton to the region affected. Make it 
fresh each time, as peroxide of hydrogen loses its power: To one 
tablespoon of peroxide of hydrogen add one drop of ammonia. 
This bleaches the hair, so as to make it barely perceptible, and 
eventually discourages the growth. Do not use tweezers as they 
make the hair grow coarser and darker. 

Superfluous hair elsewhere than on the face is not so serious 
a matter. Reliable depilatories may be safely used, and the proc¬ 
ess repeated when the hair returns, as it will eventually. Under 
the arms, the razor is perhaps the most effective and the safest 
way of removing the hair. Pumice stone may be used on the legs 
and arms. Soak them in warm water, then rub the surface briskly 
with the pumice stone. This may eventually weaken the hair so 
as to discourage the growth if it is persisted in, but at least it 


SUPERFLUOUS HAIR 


185 


serves the purpose for the time being, and in summer no girl 
wishes to show hair on her legs and arms when she is bathing or 
resting on the beach in her bathing suit, and the present vogue for 
bare legs and no sleeves in bathing suits makes this a matter of 
more vital importance than hitherto. 

Some people who consider themselves very particular look 
down upon the girl who shaves her legs and the underarm hair, 
but as a matter of fact they have no more right to scorn her than 
to scorn the man who shaves the hair from his face. Superfluous 
hair detracts from the daintiness of a woman’s appearance, and 
silk stockings and sheer frocks and blouses and sleeveless evening 
dresses make it very apparent. Because the practice of underarm 
depilatories or shaving started with chorus girls is no reason for 
considering it beneath the dignity of the social leader. Lucky the 
woman who has no superfluous hair; let the rest of her sex get 
rid of it as best they can. But when it comes to a question of hair 
on the face, let them beware of quack remedies. If they cannot 
have it removed by electrolysis, bleach it by peroxide of hydrogen, 
and don’t risk ruining the skin and probably doing no permanent 
good as far as the hair is concerned, by using depilatories. 



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CHAPTER IV 


HAIRDRESSING 

D YEING the hair is a practice that dates back to prehistoric 
times, and, doubtless, will go on until the end of time. It 
is indulged in by women who wish to Avard off age and 
think they Avill be able to do so by hiding their gray hairs; by 
younger Avomen Avho long for hair that they were never intended to 
have; fair locks when their skins and eyes call for dark; raven 
locks, when Nature endowed them with golden; Titian tones, Avhen 
nothing could give them the skin that should accompany them, and 
so on. More important than the color of your hair is the gloss 
and sheen which gives it undertones and life and health, and all 
these you Avill sacrifice if you dye your hair. Then, too, your hair 
Avill insist upon growing, at a rate far too rapid for your pocket- 
book, if you Avould conceal the fact that it is dyed. It is almost 
impossible to keep the secret of dyed hair from the world. There 
are many dangers involved as well. Poisoning from ingredients 
used in the dye, dangers from chemicals drying out the natural 
oils and bringing about dry, scaly scalp and dandruff, and fre¬ 
quently possibility of injuring the roots of the hair beyond repair. 
If you insist upon dyeing your hair, it is essential that you go to a 
professional. Home dyeing is almost never successful, and you 
cannot be sure of the results. 

Bleaching also produces injury to hair, scalp, and even eyes, 
from the caustic in the preparation. Peroxide of hydrogen is ef¬ 
fective and comparatively harmless, but constant use makes the 
hair brittle and gives a queer tone to the color. If your hair is 
naturally fair, use lemon juice in your rinsing water, wash with 
lemon soap, but do not try to bleach your hair to a lighter shade. 

189 


190 GUIDE TO HEALTH AM) PERSONAL BEAUTY 


The use of the so-called henna shampoo is justified if you so desire. 
It is a vegetable product and perfectly harmless, but the effect 
wears off and has to be renewed with every shampoo. 

Just a word about false hair. Transformations, the best and 
newest form of false hair, are treated more fully later on. But 
there are many other forms of false hair—switches, false bangs, 
and wigs, besides the many forms of false hair used under the nat¬ 
ural hair, or added in the form of puffs and curls. In most of these 
there is no real harm, that is, if you keep the false hair in good 
condition, and never wear it for too long a time. If your hair is 
very scanty, false hair is better than none, but probably you can do 
much towards remedying the condition. And the present vogue 
for bobbed hair gives you another way out of your predicament. 
However, granted you are wearing false hair, there are some 
points of importance in caring for it. In the first place, get the 
best quality and be sure of the place from which it comes. A great 
deal of disease is carried in hair. Then never use it for more than 
two years. And finally, take as good care of it as if it were on 
your own scalp. Dip it in gasoline to clean it, as soap and water 
change the color of false hair. Dry it in the sun and open air. 
Then, to give it lustre, brush it with brilliantine. If you do not 
know how to use brilliantine, either on false hair or your own 
hair, here are the rules: Put a few drops in the palm of your 
hand, rub the brush over the hand, and then brush the hair. 
NEVER use it on the hair directly. 

Something has been said already about the implements to be 
used in caring for your hair, and all of those facts are of vital im¬ 
portance in arranging the hair. Especially does this refer to the 
kinds of hairpins and nets. In putting on a net fasten it with 
short pins in front and long ones in back, and put it on loosely. 
The suggestion that you should not w T ear a net too long is probably 
unnecessary, for nets tear so easily that they do not last long 
enough to get soiled. But this does apply to hairpins. Do not 
wear hairpins long enough to rust the wire ones, to blunt the ends, 



© Underwood & Underwood 

A BANDEAU HOLDS FAIR BOBBED HAIR IN PLACE 












HAIRDRESSING 


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or to bend them so that they break the hair, and keep your bone 
pins clean by washing them every time you wash your brush and 
comb. Then, too, select your curlers, if you use them, with great 
care. Curlers are better for the hair than hot irons; professional 
waving and the permanent wave are discussed later, so this refers 
to amateur curling of the hair. It should not be done oftener 
than every other day. Dampen the hair with water, then put on 
the curlers, not tight enough to frizzle the hair. Bandoline in 
small quantities helps in curling hair that is uncompromisingly 
straight. Water wave is sufficient for hair that is at all wavy. 
There come sets of combs, adjusted on springs so that they give an 
effective marcel. The hair is dampened, then the combs are ad¬ 
justed, irregularly, and left in for half an hour or an hour. If 
your hair is ordinarily very wavy, all you will need in winter, 
when the wave decreases, is to wet your comb in arranging your 
hair, and press it down where you want the wave. Or else, dampen 
your hair and tie narrow bands of tape or ribbon around it, in the 
Greek fashion, for half an hour. Never use curlers or irons on 
naturally curly hair, as it takes out the natural curl. 

Bobbed hair is so popular that it deserves special treatment. 
Before you have your hair bobbed, be sure that your type of face 
can stand it, and then decide what type of bob is best for you. 
There is a decided choice of cut. A round face and small features 
can stand any cut and any arrangement. A long face needs more 
hair on the sides. In general, the mode demands that the front 
hair be cut long, the back hair short. A childish type of face can 
stand it brushed straight back in pompadour style, while classic 
features look best with a part on the side or in the centre. Don’t 
have the hair cut too short, and if there is a tendency for it to grow 
low on the neck, keep it clipped up to the bob, using curved scis¬ 
sors for this purpose. 

Frequent combing is essential to keep bobbed hair in order as 
the slightest thing disarranges it. Frequent shampooing is nec¬ 
essary to keep it fluffy. Straight hair needs to be curled to look 


194 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


well, and the curling is quite a different matter from curling long 
hair. The long portion can be readily curled on curlers, the back 
may have to be curled with an iron. Before using an iron, test it 
on paper, so as to be sure it will not scorch the hair. Use it, if 
possible, only after a shampoo. Then after that, dampen the short 
hair and roll it on a tape or ribbon and pin up with invisible hair¬ 
pins. Many separate strands give the small curls effect. For a 
soft loose roll, turn it up evenly and tightly all around. In front 
of the ears roll the ends under, in back over. Wiry hair looks best 
if rolled under all around, while soft hair can stand being rolled 
up and over. 

Dampness takes the curl out of bobbed hair very quickly, and 
it is necessary to protect it as much as possible. If the hair is 
long enough, tuck it up under a hat, using a net to hold it in place, 
and turning it under in front with hairpins. Choose your hats 
with care, tarns and turbans are good for this purpose, or hats with 
small brims, vide enough to conceal it in back. When the hair is 
growing out, curl the ends and arrange it high in back, wearing a 
bandeau to keep it in place in front. 

The question of arrangement of hair is one that cannot be 
dealt with exhaustively in this connection. There are a few gen¬ 
eral rules, however, which should govern this matter. Study the 
shape of your head, the profile, and the shape of your face, the way 
your head is set on your shoulders, and the way your hair grows 
naturally. Don’t try to go contrary to Nature; it doesn’t work. 
If your hair grows becomingly around your forehead, make the 
most of the line Nature gave you; if that line is not attractive, 
fix your hair low on your forehead. If your ears are prominent, 
conceal them, but otherwise let at least the tips show. Fashion 
takes such matters out of your hands, but at present the vogue for 
concealing all ears, no matter what their nature, has passed, and 
earrings tempt one to show just the tip of the ear below the hair. 
Common sense and simplicity should govern the youthful coiffure, 
and the result will be both attractive and in good taste. Suit your 



© Underwood & Underwood 

THE CLASSIC TYPE OF FACE CAN WEAR THIS SIMPLE COIFFURE 










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HAIRDRESSING 


197 


coiffure to your costume, never wearing an elaborately puffed and 
marceled coiffure in the daytime. If your hair is becomingly ar¬ 
ranged and simply arranged it is appropriate for any occasion. 

The woman with a plump, round face and a short nose should 
never roll the hair on top of the head, for this exaggerates the 
roundness of the face. A prominent nose prohibits a large knot 
at the back of the head, for this simply elongates the already long 
line from the tip of the nose. Small regular features look best 
with hair smoothly done; irregular features need loosely waved 
hair. Test the arrangement of your hair from all angles, paying 
particular attention to the line it makes with your nose and chin, 
and taking into account the set of your head as emphasized by 
your hair. Having chosen an arrangement that is in every way 
becoming and suitable, do not change it every other week. Adapt 
it to keep in fashion, but remember always, whether the subject be 
hair or dress, that the thing that is becoming is better than the 
ultra-fashionable that is unbecoming. 

The two remaining parts of this chapter are written by ex¬ 
perts in the lines they have chosen. Mr. Nestle is well known as 
the originator of the permanent wave, which he told me he started 
in London as a treatment for a disease of the scalp and hair, and 
later adapted to meet the demand for a permanent wave which he 
encountered when the public discovered that the treatment gave 
this result as a by-product. Monsieur Manuel studied his art of 
hairdressing in L’Ecole des Coiffeurs de France and L’Academie 
des Coiffeurs de France, in which institution he later taught. 
Since that time he has practised in Aix les Bains, Monte Carlo, 
Buenos Ayres, and New York, and brought the transformation to 
a degree of perfection little dreamed of a few years ago. 


198 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


A PERMANENT WAVE 


By C. Nestlt 



HE discovery of a permanent hair wave is, for womankind 


one of the most interesting and useful of the age. And it is 


not surprising that there are many who wish to know a lit¬ 
tle more about it than they usually obtain from the hairdresser 
who operates upon their heads. Permanent waving is more of a 
science than an art in that the discovery rests on the character 
and formation of hair which we call naturally curly and wavy. 

There are two kinds of hair growing on the heads of the Cau¬ 
casian race: the straight and the curly. The difference is often 
not distinct and the two kinds merge into each other so that we 
are often in doubt whether a head of hair should be called straight 
or naturally curly. 

Hundreds of years ago we probably all had curly hair. But 
increasing culture applied wrongly has taken away much of the 
waviness. It was formerly believed that curly hair grew differ¬ 
ently than straight hair, but later investigations have shown that 
the whole question of straight or curly hair is an external one and 
has nothing whatever to do with the follicle formation. Thus w r e 
are able to produce naturally curly hair on heads by following a 
certain treatment and abstaining from using alkaline hair- and 
head-washes. We also have observed in many instances people 
growing curly hair during severe illnesses when attention to the 
head was impossible, while finally every mother has experienced 
the loss of curly hair in babies between their first and third years. 

I spent the better part of twelve years’ time on the study of 
hair textures and their development with a view of producing a 
treatment which would give our heads either naturally curly hair 
or at least a permanent hair wave. How complicated that subject 
was, and still is, is shown by the fact that even at this late date, 
although during the last seventeen years over 100,000 heads of 


A PERMANENT WA VE 


199 


hair were waved under my supervision, cases still arise which re¬ 
quire experimental work. It is truly marvelous what a variety of 
hair textures we have to deal with, and interesting to see how 
these textures are the results of certain character traits. And the 
public does not expect failure. It does not permit experiments on 
its heads even though a hairdresser may see it for the first time. 
As a result, this treatment has come to consist of an average per¬ 
formance given mostly by operators who know only the mechan¬ 
ical part of the work. 

In reality the permanent waver ought to study at least a year 
or more before attempting the work in his establishment, but this 
is impossible, if only for the reason that there is no school avail¬ 
able where such study could be pursued and the necessary knowl¬ 
edge acquired. 

To turn straight hair into permanently wavy requires a two¬ 
fold action: First, a new shape for the hair, and secondly, some¬ 
thing to retain this new formation. It may surprise the layman to 
hear that humidity is the natural hair curler, and that the condi¬ 
tion required by hair to curl naturally is that its formation be 
changed so that it may absorb humidity. For this reason straight 
hair is first wound tightly and neatly on an instrument like a 
common hair curler and then steamed for a few minutes. The 
steaming curls the hair and opens the cells of the hair shaft. 
When the hair is unwound from the curler, a shampoo will prove 
whether or not the treatment has been successful. The hair will, 
of course, be curled under any circumstances after the steaming, 
but if at the same time the hair texture should have remained 
closed, the hot water used in the shampoo will immediately make 
the hair straight again as before, whereas if the hair texture has 
been opened it will retain its curl and never close again as long as 
the hair is on the head. This is a permanent hair wave. 

The word “permanent” requires some explanation. A woman 
with naturally wavy hair knows a good deal more about the char¬ 
acteristics of such hair than she who gets a permanent wave. The 


200 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


woman wuth naturally curly hair knows that she has to give atten¬ 
tion to it—wet it frequently, for instance, especially in dry 
weather. She knows that when she is sick or run down her hair 
will almost lose its wave and she consequently strives to retain 
the curl by wetting the hair if necessary. On the other hand, the 
woman who has had a permanent wave does not consider these 
things because she usually is not aw r are of them. She promptly 
puts such changes down to the inefficiency of the wave and maybe 
makes a complaint. But no matter how often or successfully the 
hair has been permanently waved, it will always be subject to the 
same conditions as naturally wavy hair. The evaporation from 
the body plays a great part in the waviness of a woman’s hair and 
when this body is sickly and inactive, the evaporation of the pores 
is insufficient to keep the hair on the head active and waving. 

Furthermore, in comparing it with the naturally wavy hair 
we find that to be coarser than most hair which has a permanent 
wave, all the more reason why the latter is at a disadvantage. 
On the other hand, the treatment of permanent waving has made 
such progress of late years that it is possible to give straight hair 
a much better and tighter formation than Nature would permit. 

Complaints are made about the effects of permanent waving 
on human hair. They are in most cases well founded. Permanent 
waving is a process which requires considerable skill, knowledge, 
and above all a conscientious mind. These things are not gener¬ 
ally available, in fact very rarely. Permanent waving was at one 
time a hair treatment and appreciated as such even by an author¬ 
ity no less than the late Professor Metchnikoff of the Pasteur In¬ 
stitute of Paris, who recommended the treatment in a lecture to 
his students as one of the greatest steps forward in the progress 
of hair science. 

Who is to blame? Certainly if the public demanded better 
work they would get it, for there is the possibility of production. 
But the public’s taste in the matter of hair is not as well developed 
as it may be. We can say that in matters of hair we are in the 


A PERMANENT WAVE 


201 


elementary stage of taste and only a limited number of women 
know that hair beauty can be expressed only in a perfect healthy 
appearance built up in tasteful lines to fall in harmoniously with 
the contours and characteristics of the face and body. The wav¬ 
ing of the hair is only a means to this end and by no means the 
principal thing. 

The unfortunate part of permanent waving is that quantity 
of wave is much more easily produced than quality, and the people, 
while prefering quality, are suspicious and demand quantity. 
There are two ways of treating the hair in permanent waving 
which make either for quality or for quantity. Hair wound per¬ 
fectly flat will never get damaged, whereas hair twisted like a 
rope will practically always lose part of its color and become 
harsh, because the hair structure is not treated naturally but is 
distorted and weakened. The “Housemaid’s Twist,” as this wav¬ 
ing is professionally called, is easy to do and produces two or 
three times as much wave as the flat winding does, but the wave 
is obviously artificial and more like a “nigger frizz” than the hair 
of cultured Caucasians. But flat winding requires considerable 
training and skill and is therefore rarely used outside of a few 
first-class establishments. 

The chemical used to produce permanent hair waving has, 
until recently, been moistened borax. This borax surrounded the 
hair in some form and the heated vapours penetrated the hair 
structure and opened it. Borax, however, had the drawback of 
entering the hair in minute particles and attacking its grease fila¬ 
ments. This is now removed by the discovery of a new chemical 
compound called “lanoil,” which has the property of softening 
the hair material much more effectively than borax with less heat 
and without attacking the hair structure or its filaments in any 
way. 

In concluding, we have to make just one more important re¬ 
mark about the value of the word “permanent” in hair waving. 
This term applies only to present hair, which grows at an average 


9 


202 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


rate of one-half inch per month, and so the wave “grows” away 
from the scalp at that rate. Middle aged and elderly people often 
think their hair has stopped growing because it is getting shorter 
instead of longer. They are, however, mistaken, as even a person 
of advanced age will grow hair almost as fast as the young person, 
although the quality may become inferior with increasing age, and 
thinner in quantity. 

HIGH LIGHTS ON THE MODERN TRANSFORMATION 
By Manuel 

Professor in the Academie des Coiffeurs de France 

S OME are born with lovely hair, some achieve lovely hair, and 
some have lovely hair thrust upon them. The first class is 
small, indeed; to the second class belong those who by con¬ 
stant care, by slow degrees, and by using much of their precious 
time bring their own tresses to a condition approximating that of 
their more fortunate sisters of the first class; to the last class 
belong the ever-increasing band of women, who unblessed by Na¬ 
ture in respect to their locks, or over-burdened with everything 
but time, have resorted to Nature’s first assistant, the artists in 
transformation. For the successful transformation must be 
made by an artist, selected by an artist, and arranged by an artist. 
The day of the “false front” or “wig” that the old ladies used to 
affect has passed. Now the transformation is a synonym for the 
kind of hair one should have had, if desire and perfect health had 
combined forces: hair of the color and texture and quality that 
best set off the shape of your face, the line of your forehead, the 
color and texture of your skin, or hair that supplements your own 
scanty tresses. 

What is a “transformation,” some of you may ask? It may 
be a front transformation, which will give that perfect line across 
your forehead which your own hair never would attain; or it may 
be a transformation which covers your head as far as the 




Close Lines Suitable for Small Features The Provocative Spanish Coiffure 

THE CHANGING MODE IS REFLECTED IN THE MODERN TRANSFORMATION 


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HIGH LIGHTS ON MODERN TRANSFORMATION 205 


back of the ears, and waves deliciously across your ears, showing 
the shell tip, with its ubiquitous ear-ring; or it may cover your 
head and conceal entirely your own hair. The transformations 
are all light as thistledown, made on fine net foundations, 
and hooking together at the back so firmly that one can pull and 
brush and comb or be out, unhatted, in the strongest wind, and 
never suffer any qualms as to its security. A few pins determine 
the exact angle, and at the back the hair unites with your own 
hair—or, if it is a complete transformation, conceals it altogether. 

“But the part, that gives the secret away,” you exclaim. Ah 
no, Madame, it is more natural than your own. Such care is taken 
with the part; the foundation in texture and color would deceive 
any observer, and each separate hair is drawn through from the 
wrong side and knotted under the net. The hair is in the best 
of condition, and most of it comes from the girls of Brittany, far- 
famed for their beautiful, wavy hair. 

Think of the innumerable reasons for using a transforma¬ 
tion. You may have long since wearied of your own hair, a source 
of endless trouble, and not blending with your skin and eyes— 
thin, toneless, lustreless; or you may wish to be in the Spanish 
mode of the day, and be unfortunately endowed with fair hair; 
or perhaps you bobbed your hair last year, and wish to bridge over 
that trying time when it is at the awkward length. Permanent 
waving may have proved a failure, illness may have caused your 
hair to fall out, gray hairs may be coming in too slowly to be ef¬ 
fective and yet fast enough to be conspicuous. A thousand reasons 
for changing your hair, but here are a few of the most potent. 

And there are transformations to meet one’s every need, every 
mood. Think of the joy of a swim in the surf when a transforma¬ 
tion is left behind, with no danger of getting wet and stringy. 
Think of the effect of a fancy dress costume, enhanced by the hair 
that should accompany it. And what fun to visit in a new place, 
emboldened to be a real butterfly by a bewitching transformation, 
that changes not only your hair, but your spirit as well. The red 


206 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


transformation may be worn with green eyes and a quick tongue; 
the white, after sun-down, by the woman with a regal carriage and 
a sparkling eye. And to give the finishing touch there are charm¬ 
ing combs, jeweled pins, dainty barrettes, and sparkling ban¬ 
deaux. 

The well-dressed woman of to-day is wearing the transforma¬ 
tion as she wears a little rouge, for it improves the appearance 
of her lovely hair, and beautifies the hair that is unlovely. It 
simplifies the question of arrangement, for the hair “grows” as 
one wishes it to grow, so that it insures artistic lines, and may 
be arranged with ease into a Spanish coiffure, a soft Greek psyche 
knot, a youthful cluster of curls high on the head. It may be parted 
or drawn straight back. Or it may be drawn gracefully from left 
to right across the back of the head and caught into place by a 
jeweled comb. The possibilities are no longer limited by the fact 
that your hair parts in the wrong place, that it will not fall grace¬ 
fully over the ears, that short hairs will force themselves out in 
back. It is your duty to yourself, to your family and friends and 
to society to look your best. If a transformation will achieve this 
end, bury your out-of-date prejudice against “false hair” and re¬ 
member that “nature exists only to be improved.” 



Becoming Coiffure for the Young Matron 


Indicative of the Simple Trend of Coiffures 


Low Lines Becoming to Regular Features 


THE TRANSFORMATION IS ADAPTED TO EVERY AGE AND TYPE 



Graceful Hair-dressing for the Debutante 



















■ 






. . 








$ I • • 






































































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- 
























































PART III 

THE SKIN 



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9 


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* 







CHAPTER I 


THE CARE OF THE SKIN 



PERSON gifted with beautiful hair and a lovely skin can go 


through life giving the impression of beauty, even though 


her features may be far from beautiful, for first impres¬ 
sions are what count in looks after all* Nobody cares particularly 
about having the type of beauty that is evident only after careful 
observation. We all want to give an impression of beauty to the 
most casual observer, and hair and skin have more responsibility 
in this than any other parts of our appearance. Already I hope 
you are convinced that it is care that gives the greatest beauty 
to hair, that naturally inconspicuous hair may be made really 
beautiful by systematic attention. I hope it will soon be equally 
evident that skin comes in the same category, that it, too, depends 
for real beauty on care. It is not essential that the skin be like 
a baby’s, pink and white and almost transparent in its thinness. 
Transparency from a thoroughly healthy condition, clearness, and 
glowing vitality make any skin beautiful. A complexion of 
“peaches and cream” is all very well, but with dark hair and eyes 
nothing is lovelier than the rich creamy tone of a brunette’s skin. 
Nobody has any business moping over a bad complexion. It is 
your own fault and the sooner you set about remedying it, the 
happier you and all your friends will be. 

The first thing you must do is to check up your balance sheet 
of health. Do you take plenty of exercise, eat good, wholesome 
food and not too much of it, sleep well at night, keep yourself in 
good condition physically, particularly as regards elimination, 
and use a goodly supply of soap and water? The daily programme 
should begin with early rising, brisk exercises, a cold shower with' 


211 


212 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


a thorough rub-down (this, of course, if you can stand the cold 
water and react properly), and a walk before breakfast. This 
walk, as I have said before, will be a hard struggle at first, but 
it will amply repay you after you have once got into the habit 
and will make the whole day easier for you, besides giving you 
the basic elements of health that are essential to beauty. The re¬ 
mainder of the day you must keep in mind the previous instruc¬ 
tions regarding diet. Don’t worry over your work. Relax, if you 
find your nerves on edge. And go to bed early, so that the next 
morning it wont be so hard to get up for that early morning walk. 
If you follow these instructions, and give your skin the local care 
it requires, I am almost willing to stake my life on marked im¬ 
provement in your complexion. But remember, your skin can’t 
do all your work for you. To be sure, it is an organ of elimination, 
but it can’t do its work if you do not give it proper nourishment 
through proper diet, proper stimulation through proper exercise, 
and proper cleansing through proper bathing. If the skin on 
your face is covered with a daily, even an hourly, coating of en¬ 
amel, it has not a chance. Don’t blame your skin if it is in bad 
condition. Blame yourself, and see where you can remedy mat¬ 
ters. 

The structure of the skin should be thoroughly understood 
if you expect to keep it in condition, just as the mechanism of an 
engine should be understood if you are going to run it. Otherwise, 
in either case, you will get into trouble. The skin has two layers, 
the epidermis, or horny surface, and the derma, or tissue contain¬ 
ing blood vessels, nerves, and so on. Where the two layers come 
into contact they are studded with papillae, those little cone-shaped 
things mentioned in the chapter on hair. The derma continues 
down into a layer of fatty tissue. Sweat and fat glands are dis¬ 
tributed over the entire face and in fact over the entire body. 
Below the fatty tissue lie the muscles. It is the fatty tissue that 
gives the contour to the face, and when this tissue is lacking the 
skin falls inward, causing wrinkles and hollows. Already I have 


THE CARE OF THE SKIN 


213 


described the structure and functions of the glands—the sweat 
glands which throw off the refuse and waste matter, and the fat 
glands which supply an oily matter to keep the hair and the skin 
soft. The blood vessels which are in the derma are very numerous 
in the skin of the face, and good circulation gives the healthy color 
we all desire. The blood nourishes the skin, and supplies the fat 
glands with oil and the sweat glands with the waste matter which 
they in turn carry off. Consequently, interference with the cir¬ 
culation affects the functions that are necessary to the health of 
the skin, and shows in its texture, color, and general condition. 

The skin has many characteristics other than the superficial 
one of covering the body. It has surprising strength, elasticity, 
fineness of texture, softness due to a slight oiliness, and is covered 
in varying degree with fine, almost imperceptible hairs. The 
color of the skin is, like the color of the hair, due to pigment in the 
epidermis. The amount and character of this pigment varies in 
different skins, and in some shows irregularly in the form of 
freckles, moles, and tan. The skin is marked in various ways, with 
furrows, lines, wrinkles, dimples and pores. The pores are 
present throughout life, dimples change and vary with years, and 
wrinkles and lines and furrows come with age. But the pores 
form the mouths of the sweat and fat glands, the latter being at 
the point of exit of the hair. 

The skin is nourished, as stated above, by arterial blood, 
which is under nervous, involuntary control, as is evident in blush¬ 
ing or getting pale. The functions of the skin are varied. It pro¬ 
tects the surface, it is an organ of secretion, an organ of touch, and 
a regulator of heat. Its powers of absorption are limited, almost 
negligible, so beyond a certain point it is impossible to fill out the 
skin by rubbing fats into the skin. It must be fed from within 
by the usual channels. 

The hygiene of the skin depends, as already stated, on the 
general hygiene of the body, on exercise, diet, sleep, air, and sun. 
Air and sun are very important for the skin, as is evident in the 


214 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


skin of people who have been shut away from the open air and the 
sunlight for some time. The direct rays of the sun are harmful, if 
too strong or too prolonged. The protective pigment forms to 
keep the strong light from hurting the cells of the skin, and this 
results in tanning, if the pigment cells are evenly distributed, and 
in freckling, if the cells are uneven in their distribution. 

Of utmost importance in the hygiene of the skin is the local 
care. Cleanliness deserves a chapter to itself, and is treated later 
on in this volume, so the following paragraphs refer to local care 
of the skin of the face. This skin is exposed to sun and wind and 
dirt more than any other part of the skin, and if not properly 
cared for will become coarsened and rough. This condition is 
apparent in the skin of people who live in the open continually 
and do not attempt to preserve its texture. But proper care in¬ 
sures the maintenance of the fine texture and finish. Elsewhere on 
the body, the skin maintains this babyish condition, except where 
exposure has changed its superficial character, as on the hands, 
and sometimes on the legs below the knees and on the forearms. 

Cleanliness is the primary principle in caring for the skin. 
Do not be afraid of water. The theory that water hurts the skin, 
that it dries the natural oil, that it is not sufficiently cleansing, 
and so on is contradicted by the foremost authorities on the skin 
everywhere. Water it should have in plenty—water softened 
either by Nature or by preparation. It is a simple matter to soften 
water by boiling, or distilling, or to get it by catching rain water. 
Hard water is made so by the presence of calcium carbonate; it 
is not harmful in itself, but is not as cleansing, simply because it 
requires so much more soap and takes so much longer that most 
people do not bother to work for the results. It is not advisable 
to soften water by adding salt, borax, or baking soda, as these 
products are drying for the skin. If you wish to make the water 
more soothing for the skin add a handful of bran to a bowl of 
water, or half a handful of almond meal. The temperature of the 
water is a matter of difference of opinion. A very warm bath 


THE CARE OF THE SKIN 


215 


frequently results in chapping, if taken before going out. Tepid 
water, and very bland soap, followed by a generous supply of 
toilet powder or an olive oil massage counteract this condition. 
On the whole, it is best to use tepid and cold water for the face. 
In the morning wash the face with cold or tepid water, never with 
really hot. The cold water is very stimulating and excellent for 
the skin. At night use warm water and soap, in spite of all the 
prohibitions concerning the use of soap on your face that have 
been fired at you throughout your life. Good soap is good for 
the skin. Cleanliness is essential for the skin. Shininess results, 
not from using soap, but from imperfect rinsing. And it does 
not grow hair on the face. Oils and creams are very important in 
their place but they are not a substitute for soap. 

While we are on this subject of soap, I wish to give some 
advice about the kind of soaps you can use with impunity. It is 
essential that they be made from pure, clean, fresh fats, that they 
should be free from an excess of alkali or cocoanut oil, that they 
should not contain many unnecessary ingredients, and that they 
should lather freely. Castile soap is a soda soap made with olive 
oil. Unfortunately, there are numberless cheap imitations, some 
of them substituting cocoanut oil for olive oil. Cocoanut oil is 
not good for the skin so be sure you get the real Castile, not neces¬ 
sarily the expensive imported brands, however. Green soap is a 
potash soap made with linseed oil and alcohol. It is an alkaline 
soft soap, cuts grease, and has already been advised for oily 
scalps. It is irritating for dry skin. A tincture of green soap is 
the soap dissolved in alcohol. The color, as before stated, is 
amber, not green, as one would suppose by the name. The best 
form of green soap is made with cottonseed or olive oil, not linseed 
oil. Great claims are made for various medicated soaps, and occa¬ 
sionally, under doctor’s orders, medicated soaps are necessary for 
certain skin troubles. However, they contain chemicals that are 
bad for delicate skins, and should be used with great care. The 
price is a fairly safe indication of the quality of a soap. A good 


216 GUIDE TO HEALTH AM) PEESONAL BEAUTY 


soap cannot be made very cheaply; a very expensive soap contains 
expensive perfume and is wrapped in an elaborate wrapper and 
sold in a fancy box. Therefore a moderate price is the safest price 
for a soap. 

Drying the face properly is almost as important as washing 
it. The proper way to wash the face is to use a cloth, not too 
harsh, or a flesh brush, and to rinse thoroughly, using cold water 
at the last, no matter what the temperature of the original wash¬ 
ing water may have been. Then dry with not too rough a towel, 
using a gentle mopping movement, and pressing the towel against 
the face, not rubbing it. Bubbing with a harsh towel may stimu¬ 
late the circulation, but it is far better to do this by the cold water 
and by massage, if necessary, for rubbing irritates and roughens 
the skin. If you want to rub your face because you think it will 
give you more color, try this method instead: Drink two glasses 
of hot water before each meal and two more at bed time. Or else 
dip the cloth in very hot water, and apply the cloth lightly at first 
and then more closely. When the cloth is cool bathe in very cold 
water. The color from this treatment lasts two or three hours, 
certainly as long as color from hard rubbing with a towel. But 
the most effective way of getting color in your cheeks is to lead a 
healthy outdoor life, and give your blood a chance to circulate as 
Nature intended it to circulate. If you follow the regime endorsed 
in the chapters on exercise and diet, you will not have to hunt 
for methods of acquiring color, nor will you have to apply rouge. 

The value of creams for cleansing purposes is not underrated 
when I say that the basis of cleanliness is soap and water. After 
exposure to dust and wind, it is advisable to use cold cream before 
using soap and water. Eub the cold cream well into the skin, leave 
it on for a few minutes, then take a cloth dampened in tepid water 
and thoroughly wrung out, and having on it a little soap, and 
remove all traces of the cold cream. You will be horrified the first 
time you do it to see how much dirt comes off, and you will feel that 
your skin has never been clean before. But remember, that in 



© Joel Feder 

YOUTH, HEALTH AND BEAUTY SHOULD GO HAND IN HAND 












THE CARE OF THE SKIN 


219 


cleansing tlie skin in tke ordinary way, much of the dirt comes oh 
in the water, while in this method all of it comes off on the cloth. 
After this cold cream cleansing, wash the face with cold water, as 
this stimulates the circulation and tones up the muscles. Cold 
cream makes the skin supple and soft, and when used before going 
out, and not as a cleansing method, it protects the skin from sun 
and wind. For this purpose it is best to use the vanishing or dis¬ 
appearing cream, from which the grease has been removed. This 
forms an excellent and very satisfactory foundation for face pow¬ 
der, and is good for the skin in that it makes one application of 
powder serve throughout the day, instead of a succession of appli¬ 
cations which would clog the skin. Cream and powder protect the 
skin, if properly used and properly removed. 

However, it is important to understand the value of cream 
rightly, and not attempt to use it in every case. Oily skins can¬ 
not stand as much cream as dry skins. No skin can stand cream 
in place of soap and water. No skin should use cream every day. 
Alternate days are quite sufficient to keep the skin thoroughly 
cleansed. The importance of removing every trace of cream be¬ 
fore retiring cannot be too emphatically stressed, as cream clogs 
the pores and prevents the throwing off of waste matter, and the 
night is the time when most waste matter is thrown off. Clogged 
pores mean blackheads. Blackheads may lead to all sorts of 
troubles with the skin. Clogged pores also give that sallow color 
that is all too prevalent among American women, more so among 
them than among the women of any other nation. 

There are many kinds of creams, and most of the well-known 
brands are thoroughly safe for cleansing purposes and for pro¬ 
tecting the skin, and to a certain extent for foundation creams. 
The use of foundation creams is discussed later, and is a matter 
of great importance. Whether creams act as skin foods is a 
matter of controversy. To a certain extent, the skin may be fed 
through the pores, especially if the application of the skin foods 
is by massage, so that it is thoroughly worked in and not left on 


220 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


the surface. But, on the whole, it is safe to say that most of the 
feeding of the skin must come about through the regular channels 
of the digestive apparatus. Buy a well-recommended skin food, 
do not try to make your own. Their application is described later, 
in treating massage. Of regular cold creams there are several 
kinds not so familiar, as well as the general run—olive oil, cold 
cream, rose ointment, vaseline cold cream, and the new lemon 
cream for example. To prevent rancidity, add 5 per cent, boric acid 
powder to your cold cream. Fat-free cold creams and lotions 
should be used under powder, and in place of fatty creams on oily 
skins. Otherwise the cream will make the nose shiny with excess 
oil, and even the powder will not be able to counteract it. In 
putting on the vanishing cream, use very little and rub it in 
lightly but thoroughly. Some people use cologne or dilute al¬ 
cohol after a cold-cream cleansing, to counteract the greasiness. 

Certain lotions are very soothing and pleasant and help keep 
the skin in a good condition, though their value is overrated. 
They are particularly delightful after a massage with skin food, 
and help remove the creamy substance or the oil and leave the 
skin feeling refreshed and cool. This formula makes a good lotion 
for this purpose: 

Tragacanth, 80 grains, 

Glycerin, y 2 ounce, 

Boric Acid, y 2 ounce, 

Oil of Bergamot, 5 drops, 

Oil of Rose, 1 drop, 

Oil of Lavender, 2 drops, 

Water to make, 1 pint. 

Dissolve thoroughly at a moderate heat. 

For rough hands and a hard dry skin a simple lotion is made as 
loliows: 

Rose water, 3 ounces, 

Glycerin, just under an ounce, 

Carbolic Acid, 10 drops. 


THE CAKE OF THE SKIN 


221 


Still another even simpler skin freshener is simply one table¬ 
spoonful of face salts to half a glass of cold water, or even witch 
hazel scented with a few drops of your favorite perfume. 

Powder is almost universally used, and very frequently and 
unfairly blamed for many ills with which it has almost nothing to 
do. I qualify that statement, by “almost,” for powder improperly 
applied can do no end of harm. However, there is no reason why 
everyone should not be able to learn how to put on powder prop¬ 
erly. It assuredly looks far better to get only the effect of a soft, 
finished-looking skin, than to see the powder so far off that you 
are scarcely conscious of anything else. The kind of powder to 
use and the places where it is needed will be discussed in greater 
detail under the subject of making up, but since powder is often 
used without any other cosmetic, and if properly used contributes 
to the care of the skin, it certainly deserves a word here. It has 
several important qualities: It protects the skin from the too 
ardent rays of the sun, it absorbs surplus oil, and it is very cool¬ 
ing. Use it over a thin film of vanishing cream, apply with a 
swan’s down puff or cotton, not chamois or a powder cloth, and 
have a second puff to take off the surplus powder, and remove 
every vestige of it at night with cold cream, or soap and water. 
Talcum, which is French chalk, and starch (wheat, potato, or 
rice), form the foundations of cosmetic powders. Avoid any 
powders containing lead or bismuth. Once again—powder is 
not harmful if used on a clean skin and in moderate quantities. 
Toilet powders have a base of powdered starch or rice powder 
and talcum, and are scented or not scented as one chooses. Three 
simple formulae for talcum powders are given below. 

(1) Boric Acid Powder, 1 part, 

Talcum, 9 parts. 

(2) Boric Acid Powder, 2 parts, 

Starch, 8 parts. ' 

(3) Boric Acid Powder, 1 part, 

Starch, 4 parts, 

v Talcum, 5 parts. 


222 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


Toilet powders are meant to be used anywhere on the body except 
the face, but are not fine enough in texture to be used on the face. 

The question of the use of perfumes and toilet waters has to 
be settled by each person. But one thing will apply to everyone: 
Do not use strong perfumes under any circumstances. The day 
has passed when all the good perfumes are imported, but any 
really good one, whether domestic or foreign, is expensive. It 
should last a long time, for there should never be more than a 
hint of it—on the handkerchief, or a drop behind the ear or on the 
neck, or in some not too obvious place. When perfume is very 
strong there is always the suspicion in the minds of neighbors 
that the much-perfumed lady is attempting to conceal some less 
pleasant odor. Test out thoroughly different perfumes before you 
choose what you prefer, then be consistent. Get soap, powder, and 
perfume of the same “flavor” and don’t mix different kinds. Toilet 
waters are not so permeating as perfume and a great many people 
prefer them. Here again—do not get cheap toilet water. The use 
of bath salts is growing in popularity and is a very simple way 
of acquiring a faintly elusive scent of perfume, without the over¬ 
powering effect that many perfumes give. A tablespoonful of 
bath salts in a tub of hot water is ample. Do not use it with the 
idea of softening the water for a shampoo, as it has a rather 
drying effect. 

Just as important for the proper care of the skin is the care 
of the wash cloths, sponges, and so on, as is the proper care of 
combs and brushes for the hair. Keep separate wash cloths for 
soaping and rinsing the face. Be sure that only one person uses a 
wash cloth, as many troubles with the skin are communicable. 
Use a sponge for rinsing if you prefer, but do not put soap on the 
sponge. Keep a flesh brush thoroughly clean, and sun it well 
every day. This process of sunning is of great importance for 
wash cloths and sponges, too. Use a firm but not harsh towel, 
of linen, not cotton, as cotton stays wet and is apt to be “linty.” 
Try to take off all the dirt from your face and hands before using 


THE CARE OF THE SKItf 


223 


a towel, and if you succeed, it is surprising how long a towel will 
stay clean and sweet. 

The care of powder puffs is another important thing for keep¬ 
ing the skin in good condition. Of what avail is it to cleanse the 
skin thoroughly and then apply powder with a puff that is dirty? 
It is better to use absorbent cotton, and very particular people 
keep on hand a supply of tiny absorbent cotton puffs, ready for 
use. Ho not leave your powder box open, as it catches the flying 
dust, and do not use it on the street, for sanitary reasons as well 
as reasons of taste. Men may not object to a girl using powder, 
but they do not like to have a girl use it in public. It is a trick 
that shows lack of breeding and appreciation of what is in good 
taste and is all too common at the present time. Cold cream is 
another toilet accessory that requires care. It is apt to turn 
rancid or to separate, if kept too long, so be sure to do away 
with it before this happens, as it gives a queer odor and is not 
good for the skin. 

The need of massage on the face is not to be classed with 
regular care of the skin, as it is rather a cure for signs of age, than 
a fundamental thing in keeping the skin in order. It helps tone 
up the skin, just as several other skin treatments that are to 
be discussed later help the skin. But the main point in caring 
for the skin is to keep it thoroughly clean, for uncleanness lies 
at the base of all skin troubles. Oily skin, dry skin, chapping, 
chafing, pimples, enlarged pores, blackheads—all these are due 
in large part to failure to keep the skin absolutely clean, and 
their special treatments are given in the next chapter. Other 
things, such as tan, freckles, red nose, wrinkles, and so on, have 
other causes. And still other troubles of the skin come from dis¬ 
eased condition, or are, in essence, birthmarks, such as moles. In 
such cases, and in aggravated forms of other troubles, it is inad¬ 
visable to attempt home treatment, except under a doctor’s di¬ 
rections. But if you keep your skin in the condition it should be 
kept, and if you train your children to treat their skins with 


10 


224 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


respect, the most persistent and the largest number of the skin 
ailments would never appear. Do not try quack remedies on 
your face. Harm done by acids and poisons is not easily undone, 
and the face should not be meddled with, unwittingly. Only ex¬ 
perts and specialists along these lines are fitted to interfere with 
Nature, and where neglect or abuse is responsible medical advice 
must be consulted—and followed. 



CHAPTER II 


TREATMENT OF ORDINARY DISORDERS OF THE SKIN 

I T is not within the scope of a book designed for practical use 
to go into details regarding troubles with the skin that are 
within the province of doctors and dermatologists. Such 
things should not be meddled with by the uninitiated, and if you 
have any serious skin trouble, or an exaggerated or persistent 
form of any common trouble, consult a doctor before trying dan¬ 
gerous experiments. There are, however, many minor troubles 
that respond readily to home treatment. 

A very slight but at times very trying thing is chafing. It is 
due to outside influences, primarily, such as clothing that does 
not fit quite right; or occasionally, to acid condition of the body. 
Bathe the chafed parts of the body in borax and water or in alco¬ 
hol, and powder liberally with talcum, and try to get rid of the 
cause if it is external, and to cure acidity by diet if it is more 
fundamental. 

Chapping comes from exposure of damp surfaces to wind and 
cold. If you bite your lips they will chap, if you do not dry your 
skin thoroughly and then expose yourself to cold it will chap, if 
you take baths of very hot water and then go out your skin is 
likely to chap. Chapping is aggravated and intensified by dirt, 
and the likelihood is increased by inactive sweat glands and oil 
glands and by poor circulation, so any treatment that helps these 
conditions, and any systematic exercise "which puts the body in 
good condition decreases the tendency to chap. Careful use of cold 
cream (extreme use weakens the resistance of the skin), or use 
of honey and almond cream or some such preparation will relieve 
the condition. Camphor ice or white lip-stick is very good for 

225 


226 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


chapped lips. Glycerin and rose water with a few drops of car¬ 
bolic acid, as suggested in the formula given in the preceding 
chapter, make a simple lotion that is excellent for chapped skin. 

Oily skin results in many more troubles than dry skin and is 
harder to treat. Enlarged pores are a very usual accompaniment 
of an oily skin, and blackheads follow fast upon enlarged pores, 
and from blackheads develop pimples, and so on, a seemingly end¬ 
less chain. So if you have a tendency to an oily skin, treat it before 
worse things happen. Make the following mixture and put it in 
little cheesecloth bags—a teaspoonful to a bag—to use instead 
of soap: To a cup of oatmeal of the old-fashioned kind, add a 
pinch of sulphur, a pinch of powdered benzoin, and a teaspoonful 
of finely shaved Castile soap. Use these bags with very warm 
water twice a day. If the pores are already enlarged try this 
simple remedy: Bathe in warm water, dry the face thoroughly, 
and then apply a lotion composed of ten drops of tincture of Ben¬ 
zoin in cold water. Another good lotion* for enlarged pores con¬ 
tains : 

Boric Acid, 1 dram, 

Distilled Witch Hazel, 4 ounces. 

The danger of enlarged pores is that blackheads will form. Do 
not use much cold cream, especially of the greasy variety, if you 
have an oily skin and large pores. If blackheads form, it is the 
result of dirt getting clogged into the pores. There are many 
treatments for blackheads which are effective. Steaming is a 
thorough method of cleansing the skin, and this is what getting 
rid of blackheads means. It is, however, no permanent cure, and 
if too frequently used, it relaxes the skin and causes early 
wrinkles and sagging muscles. Another treatment which is es¬ 
sential if the blackheads are numerous is this: Wash first of 
all with this lotion: 


*This formula and several others in this chapter are reprinted from “My Lady's Hand¬ 
book, ” by W. S. Birge, M.D., by courtesy of the publishers, Messrs. George Sully & Co., New 
York. 



TREATMENT OF DISORDERS OF THE SKIN 227 


Green Soap, 1% ounces, 

Alcohol, 2 l / 2 drams, 

Glycerin, 2 l / 2 drams, 

Borax, V/\ drams. 

Then rub the affected areas with the following lotion: 

Rose Water, 2 T / 2 drams, 

Spirit of Lavender, 2 l / 2 drams, 

Alcohol, 2JE4 ounces. 

Then remove the blackheads with utmost care, using a watch key 
or a shaped comedo extract, the kind with a rounded edge to 
the hole. Press the hole over the blackhead. Clean the instru¬ 
ment after removing each blackhead. Then wipe the face with a 
solution of hydrogen peroxide or with alcohol. Never squeeze 
blackheads out with the fingers, for the nail may cause infection. 
A mild case of blackheads is frequently cured by simply bathing 
the parts at night with warm water, using the oatmeal bags in¬ 
stead of soap, and pressing them against the blackheads. Use 
a complexion brush instead of a wash cloth. Rinse the face first 
with warm and then with cold water. Keep this treatment up for 
several weeks, then the remaining blackheads will be soft enough 
to be removed in the manner described above. 

After removing blackheads it is particularly important to 
close the pores with alcohol, or the same trouble will come again 
or else infection will cause the forming of pimples. Pimples are 
probably responsible for more distress of mind in both girls and 
boys than any other thing. Boys may conceal their perturbation 
more skilfully, but in secret they struggle to rid themselves of 
these offending things. They are very common during the period 
of adolescence, and at that time are very hard to get rid of. Abso¬ 
lute cleanliness goes far towards preventing them, but frequently 
they are the result of a blood condition and will pass when that 
condition is corrected. Some people are troubled with them at 
times throughout life, women more than men, and everyone should 
know how to get rid of them, as well as how to prevent them. Pre¬ 
vention consists in regulated diet as well as cleanliness, for 


228 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


sweets cause more pimples than the lover of sweets will readily 
acknowledge. “Acne” is the name of that pimply condition men¬ 
tioned as existing during adolescence and should be treated by 
a specialist. It is due to blood condition and overactivity of the 
sebaceous glands. But the scattered and occasional pimples at 
other periods of life can easily be cured by home treatment. 
Thorough cleansing of the face with a pure soap—nothing is better 
for this purpose than Ivory soap—and warm water, (use a flesh 
brush and scrub until skin is soft), with thorough rinsing, first 
in warm and then in cold water, and careful drying, followed by 
an alcohol sponge; and steaming the face every three or four 
days will probably get rid of them very soon. This treatment 
should accompany any special treatment prescribed by a doctor 
for acne, also. It is advisable not to use salves, although carbo- 
lated vaseline will do no harm, and helps dry up the pimples. 
Alcohol, however, does this just as effectively,, and does not in¬ 
crease the oiliness as any form of vaseline tends to do. Superficial 
pimples which have formed a head can be opened, if the process 
is careful. Wipe the surface with alcohol. Then take a new 
needle, dip it into alcohol or iodine, and prick the tiny yellow 
point of the pimple. Press out the pus with absorbent cotton 
dipped in alcohol and then cleanse thoroughly with a fresh piece 
of cotton soaked in alcohol. Be very careful not to prick deep 
enough to draw blood, nor to break the surrounding skin, and not 
to run the risk of infection by neglecting any of these directions. 
Pimples are generally more common in people in a run-down 
condition with anemia or digestive disturbances. 

Alcohol is blamed for the condition known as acne rosacea , 
and may sometimes be a contributory cause. The face is unduly 
flushed, the nose very red. This is in reality due to digestive dis¬ 
turbance of some kind, and as alcohol frequently causes digestive 
disturbance it deserves blame, just as candy or rich foods deserve 
blame. The condition needs the attention of a physician, and will 
not respond to home treatment. Another skin trouble which is 


TREATMENT OF DISORDERS OF THE SKIN 229 

easily cured by a doctor is what is known as vascular ectases, 
those permanent red spots due to dilated blood vessels. 

A great many people have sensitive skins which burn terribly 
when exposed to the sun, and yet do not automatically protect 
themselves by tan. Before going out where your skin will be 
exposed to direct rays of the sun, cover it with a light coating of 
vanishing cream and dust with powder. Do not go without a hat, 
if it is possible to wear one. When you come in from the sunlight 
use cold-water compresses, with a tablespoonful of alcohol in 
water, and apply a soothing powder when the face is dry. Do 
not rub the skin with a harsh towel. Sunburn or light freckles 
readily respond to applications of the following lotion: 

Citric Acid (lemon), 3 drams, 

Hot water, 11 ounces, 

Borax, 2 drams, 

Red Rose Petals, 1 ounce, 

Glycerin, 2 ounces. 

Dissolve the acid and borax in water, infuse the petals one 
hour, then strain through a jelly bag for twenty-four hours. Take 
clear portion and add the glycerin. A word is due here in re¬ 
gard to glycerin. It forms a part of many lotions and is, among 
other things, a solvent for coloring matters, hence its efficacy 
in sunburn and freckle lotions. Impure and undiluted glycerin 
is harmful. It dries the skin and causes various troubles that 
result from dry skins. A tablespoonful of pure glycerin in a 
pint of water forms a very satisfactory lotion for various pur¬ 
poses. It softens without greasing, allays itching and irrita¬ 
tion, makes the skin white, supple, soft, and glossy, and serves 
as an antiseptic. But be sure you have pure glycerin. There 
are many impure forms on the market, and it is their presence in 
so many cheap creams and skin foods that makes these prepara¬ 
tions harmful. 

Another simple lotion for sunburn and freckles contains 
equal parts of glycerin, peroxide, and witch hazel. It should be 
applied at night before retiring, and allowed to remain on the 


230 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PEKSONAL BEAUTY 

skin. Freckles and tanning are due to the same thing, in different 
proportions and arranged differently. A large amount of color 
pigment in the skin dispersed evenly forms tan as a protection 
against the direct rays of the sun. But successive coats of tan 
coarsen the skin. If the pigment is arranged irregularly, it comes 
out in the form of freckles. Moles and “moth spots” are due to 
this same pigment, but their treatment is different. Any lotion pre¬ 
scribed for sunburn or freckles is good for tan. Avoid any solution 
containing corrosive sublimate. Another lotion that is safe and 
effective contains: 

Lemon Juice, 2 ounces, 

Powdered Borax, y 2 dram, 

White Powdered Sugar, 1 dram. 

Let stand several days before using. 

There are a great many blemishes of the skin which should 
not be treated at home, nor by doctors who have not specialized 
along those lines. And some of them should not be treated at 
all. I am referring to all forms of moles, and to moth spots 
(brown spots which are apt to appear after middle life and to 
increase rapidly). Moles are of different kinds. The little, flat¬ 
surfaced brown moles are easily removed by a process of impig- 
mentation, by any good dermatologist. They may grow larger, 
and some forms of moles are potentially dangerous, so it is well 
to consult a doctor about them if they show signs of changing 
their character. Baised moles, if colorless, can also be removed. 
But never let a red mole be touched. It is extremely likely to 
cause cancer if an attempt is made to remove it, and must be 
watched and let alone. Warts are harmless and usually disap¬ 
pear spontaneously, but if they persist have them removed by a 
doctor. Moth patches, likewise are harmless, but very unattrac¬ 
tive, and as they do not disappear unaided, it is well to have them 
removed. Freckle lotions or creams may bleach them somewhat, 
but the effect is not permanent. Senile warts and scaly patches 
which form on the skins of older people should be removed if they 


TREATMENT OF DISORDERS OF THE SKIN 231 


grow irritated or seem to be spreading. Before having the skin 
touched for any of these purposes, be sure that the doctor or skin 
specialist is an expert along these lines, and do not trust to 
beauty-parlor treatments. 

There are two forms of skin blemishes that come around the 
eyelids. There are little white pinhead formations, which mass 
on the upper part of the cheek around the eyelid. These are in 
reality imprisoned blackheads, and can usually be removed by 
careful pricking with a needle dipped first in some antiseptic 
solution, and by pressing them out. The yellow plaques in the 
upper eyelids are very mysterious in origin and do not disappear. 

A red nose may be due to some skin trouble, or to tight clothes 
interfering with the circulation. Whatever the cause, trace it 
down and get rid of the redness if it is possible. An ointment 
that has been prescribed for this trouble may help some people: 

Powdered Sulphur, 1 dram, 

Powdered Starch, 2 ounces, 

Ointment Zinc Oxide, 1^2 ounces, 

Oil of Rose, 3 drops. 

A red nose is, as has already been said, due to digestive dis¬ 
turbance and takes the form of acne rosacea. In such cases a 
doctor’s advice is needed. 

The most common skin disorder that affects the mouth is 
what is called cold sores or fever blisters. To treat this, soften 
the lips with vaseline or cold cream, bathe with spirits of camphor. 
If blisters have formed, open them carefully with a sterilized 
needle, and bathe with a solution of hydrogen peroxide; then rub 
on a little borated vaseline. 

There are, of course, many skin diseases which belong in a 
medical book and not a layman’s book. Of these eczema is, per¬ 
haps, the commonest and one of the hardest to get rid of. In the 
case of any skin disease developing, consult a doctor at once. Any¬ 
thing of the kind is more easily cured in the early stages. 


232 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


Poison ivy and poison oak are dread enemies to some skins; 
while others are never affected. Some people have difficulty in 
distinguishing between poison ivy and Virginia creeper. Poison 
ivy has only three leaves, Virginia creeper five. If you know that 
you are subject to the poison and suspect possible exposure, a 
thorough and vigorous washing, followed by an alcohol sponge, 
may prevent further developments. A relief from the intense 
itching and burning, once the poison has begun to work, is 
achieved by sponging the affected surface with cool water and 
witch hazel, and applying talcum powder, or some antiseptic 
powder. A doctor will recommend some salve which will hasten 
the healing process. 

Skin disorders of any kind are unsightly and unpleasant for 
the sufferer, and amateur treatment frequently causes troubles 
more serious. So once again let me advise that unless your 
trouble is in the class with such simple affections as sunburn, 
freckles, tan, an occasional solitary pimple, blackheads, chapping, 
and so on, do not try to cure it by home treatment, or by applying 
salves and lotions recommended by advertisements or by beauty 
culturists. The person to consult first is your family physician, 
he in turn may send you to a skin specialist. Leave that matter 
to him if you trust his judgment. And do not have a family 
physician whose judgment you do not trust. There are probably 
more quacks among the “beauty doctors” than among any other 
class, so avoid them, and go to a good skin specialist or dermatol¬ 
ogist. And don’t get so conscious of your own defects that you feel 
you must have every tiny pinprick of a mole or blemish removed. 
The term “beauty spot” has a foundation of truth, for a tiny defect 
often enhances a beautiful skin, and sets off its natural whiteness. 
Else why would people at various periods during many genera¬ 
tions wear tiny bits of black plaster as beauty spots? A silly 
fashion, you will say, and doubtless it is, but the contrast with 
the white skin does make the skin seem still whiter. Leave your 
tiny blemishes alone. 


CHAPTER III 


FACIAL MASSAGE 

M ASSAGE has been used for many generations and for end¬ 
less purposes, and there is no doubt that it is very useful 
in its place. Equally, there is no doubt that its uses have 
been overemphasized. There is something in all the claims made 
for it, and as regards the facial massage the principal results 
claimed are these: the toning up of a relaxed skin, the elimina¬ 
tion of wrinkles, the removal of fatty deposits, and the improve¬ 
ment of the texture of the skin itself. The first three claims have 
better bases for their statement than the fourth. Massage, alone, 
however, can accomplish none of these things. Proper care of 
the skin is the primary necessity. The actual and well-proven 
benefits of massage are that used with a cleansing cream or traga- 
canth lotion, it aids materially in cleansing the skin. For greasy, 
sluggish skins, affected with blackheads, it is admirable, unless 
acne or some such condition is present in the skin, in which cases 
massage may spread the infection. Do not attempt massage, 
therefore, if your skin is broken out in any way. A professional 
masseuse uses special treatment for such skins. 

Before a massage treatment the face and neck must be thor¬ 
oughly washed with soap and warm water. Then, to facilitate the 
action, apply vaseline or a good skin food to the face, if the skin is 
dry; if oily, use simply talcum powder. After massage, wipe off 
all traces of the skin food or whatever was used with some prep¬ 
aration suited to your type of skin. A tonic lotion should be used 
for pale and dry skins; an astringent for wrinkled skins; a stim¬ 
ulant for a flushed skin. Then apply cold cream or powder. 

There are almost as many different types of massage as there 

233 


234 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


are operators, but they all classify under seven main heads. (1) 
Stroking. This is a circular movement with the cushions of the 
fingers. (2) Pressing. This is like stroking, but more force is 
used, and the pressure must follow the course of the blood vessels 
and the direction of the muscles. (3) Kneading. By this is meant 
either a firm working in with the thumb alone, or picking up the 
skin between the thumb and fingers, following the direction of 
the muscles. (4) Patting. In this method the fingers move over the 
skin, rhythmically as in playing a piano. It is excellent for the 
circulation. (5 ) Beating. The four fingers move together in this 
method. It is good for local congestion. (6) Pinching. The 
thumb, index finger, and middle finger rapidly pick up and release 
the skin. (7) Shaking. Successive quick pinches with the thumb 
and four fingers characterize this method. This and the pinching 
method are good for the muscles. 

If the whole face is to be massaged, the order is usually as fol¬ 
lows: cheeks, under eyes, nose, mouth, temples, forehead, chin, 
and neck. In place of ordinary massage, it is excellent for your 
face to use what is called molding. Begin on the neck, molding 
upward five times. Then the chin, and so on, following the mus¬ 
cles as outlined in the chart. Four fingers should be used when 
working on the neck and on the forehead, and the two middle fin¬ 
gers on the rest of the face. Use a skin food or molding cream for 
this process. 

Of course the type of massage varies with the special demands 
of your skin and muscles. For dryness and congestion, always 
follow the blood vessels, whatever the treatment. For wrinkles, 
follow the folds of the wrinkles and the direction of the muscles. 
If your skin needs treatment very much, repeat the process every 
day for a time, then on alternate days, for a period of from ten to 
twenty minutes. Skin in fairly good condition does not need 
massage more than once a week. If you feel that you need some 
form of massage, and know nothing about it, it is advisable to 
have a few treatments at a reliable establishment before attempt- 



CHART LETTERED TO SHOW POSITION OF MUSCLES AND ORDER 
IN WHICH THEY SHOULD BE MASSAGED 



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FACIAL MASSAGE 


237 


ing liome treatments. Find out especially the method necessary 
for regional massage where the particular need is greatest. The 
following directions are general, but will be of great assistance if 
you cannot get to a masseuse: 



Massage of forehead . Place the thumbs below and in front of 
the ears. Then with the free fingers alternate transverse and zig¬ 
zag movements from the centre of the forehead to the temples, be¬ 
tween the hair and the brows. 



Massage of cheeks. For relaxed muscles and wrinkles in the 
cheeks, place the thumbs under the chin on each side. Then with 
the fingers start from the jaw and work towards the nose. For 
sunken, sagging cheeks, work from the corners of the mouth up¬ 
wards and out towards the ears, then follow by rotary massage 
movements with the finger tips. Prior to this treatment, work in 
a good skin food with the palms, using a circular, rotary move¬ 
ment. Of course, if the face is fat, it is best not to use any skin 
food. 

Massage of chin. For treatment of wrinkles, place the thumbs 
at the corners of the lower jaw, and work with the fingers, moving 

The accompanying diagrams are reprinted from “Care of the Face,” by permission of 
the author, William A. Woodbury. 





238 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


from inwards out, following the creases of the wrinkles. For a 
double chin, the neck molding should be used, working with the 
four fingers along the muscles of the neck, up to the point of the 



chin. Follow this by massaging the chin itself, working with 
the finger tips only along the edge of the chin, from the outside in¬ 
wards, just reversing the proceeding with a wrinkled chin. 

For neck and lip wrinkles. Grasp and pinch folds of the skin 
between the thumb and index finger. 



For drooping corners of the mouth. Work up and out towards 
the ears, using the finger tips. 

For wrinkles around the eyes. Massage with the thumb, fol¬ 
lowing the crease of the wrinkles. 

For wrinkles under the eye. Work from the cheek bone to the 
corner of the eye. 

For crow’s feet. Start from the nose, and work up toward the 
temples. 

For wrinkles on the forehead. Follow the direction of the 
folds, from the centre out to the temples. 

These rules cannot be made hard and fast. Every face needs 
some little difference in the treatment, according to the special 
lines that have formed, the condition of the skin, and the firmness 
of the muscles. Too frequent and too prolonged massage is not 
good for any skin. It loosens the skin and eventually increases 






FACIAL MASSAGE 


239 


the very conditions it was intended to correct. Nothing is more 
restful for tired nerves than a thorough professional facial mas¬ 
sage, which should include massage of the back as well as the 
front of the neck, and thus reach the nerve centre at the back of 
the neck and the base of the brain. Some establishments include 
some back massage with a facial and neck treatment, and this 
combination is very beneficial for the whole system. But do not 
expect too much, aside from this, as a result of a single facial 
massage. Consistent treatment improves the condition of the skin, 
“firms up” the muscles, and keeps away the wrinkles, but erratic 
and occasional treatment cannot work marvels. 

The use of skin food for dry skins is advisable with facial 
massage, but not for oily skins. A good skin tonic used in connec¬ 
tion with massage for wrinkles is made by adding fifteen drops of 
tincture of benzoin to a glass of water. 

There are methods of physical treatment which are used to 
tone up skins and improve wrinkled and flabby skins. One of 
these is cupping, and in some instances it is helpful. A small cup 
which has been thoroughly boiled and the edge wiped off with al¬ 
cohol is used for the process. It is pressed against the skin until 
a moderate bulge is obtained, and held there for from three to 
five minutes. Rest and allow the circulation to resume its normal 
condition between applications, or else it is apt to cause conges¬ 
tion. The cup’s edge should be wiped off with alcohol between ap¬ 
plications, especially if there is any eruption on the face, as this 
prevents the spread of infection. Another treatment for wrinkles 
consists in placing strips of adhesive plaster over the wrinkles at 
night. This simple process has proved quite successful in many 
instances, and special plaster for the purpose is sold at most drug 
stores and department stores. In removing plaster that very 
closely adheres to the skin, use a little alcohol so as to avoid tear¬ 
ing the skin. Ether is even better than alcohol, but is not so likely 
to be at hand. Never try paraffin injections. The dangers of this 


240 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


treatment for any purpose is discussed at more length under 
plastic surgery and other methods of renewing youth. 

The main purpose of all treatments of an external physical 
nature is to cure what would have been prevented if the skin had 
been kept in good condition, and the circulation and muscles kept 
up to par by proper exercise and healthy living. But there is an¬ 
other and very important method of preventing wrinkles. That 
is to cultivate repose of manner, not to allow yourself to get tense, 
to frown, to droop the corners of your mouth. Easier said than 
done, you say; but there is no harm in trying. That true beauty 
comes from within has other significance than the one usually ac¬ 
corded it—for an unpleasant disposition marks the face as surely 
as it could be marked with scars from outside agencies. Unfortu¬ 
nately, smiling puts lines into the face, around the corners of the 
mouth and the corners of the eyes, but these lines are different, and 
add a certain charm and expression to the face which is desirable 
rather than otherwise. An absolute unlined face in a grown 
woman is characterless and expressionless. It is the lines of 
worry, of tenseness, of temper that we wish to remove. So do your 
best to keep them from appearing. 



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ADDED YEARS SHOULD GIVE ADDED CHARM 

























































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CHAPTER IV 


THE ART OF MAKING UP 

I F yon have followed all the suggestions in regard to healthy liv¬ 
ing, care of your skin, and care of your hair, you will not need 
to make up. And if you begin now to follow the suggestions, 
you will soon not need to make up. But meantime, if you look bet¬ 
ter with a touch of rouge, learn to apply it properly. Look around 
you, if you live in a city, and see how abominably the rank and file 
of women use make-up. American women use more cosmetics than 
the women of any other nation, and more classes of women use it 
in the United States than in other countries. A well-known maker 
of cosmetics told me that in her London shops her clients were 
either of the nobility or the theatrical profession, that the business 
women and young girls, in society or business, never used artificial 
means to achieve good complexions. Her Paris shop catered to 
these same classes but in addition had a large clientele among the 
women of the demi-monde. But her New York shop sold the bulk 
of the cosmetics to the vast “middle class.” Government statistics 
show that in 1920, $750,000,000 were spent by the women of this 
country for cosmetics, powder, and perfume. A staggering figure 
—a disgraceful figure, when we consider what those same people 
spent for charitable purposes, for church work of every kind, and 
so on. But the fact remains. And of that vast sum, think how 
much was spent unnecessarily! Look around and see how much 
too much most of the people use. The purpose in making up is to 
imitate Nature at her best. Make-up should never be perceptible. 
If it is, it certainly does not enhance a woman’s charm, and it 
equally certainly ruins her skin. Learn the secrets of proper ap¬ 
plication of rouge and powder and the proper method of removing 

243 


11 


244 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


them, get the best on the market—this does not mean, necessarily, 
the most expensive—and meantime work to get your skin in such 
condition that you will not need to touch up at all. 

A great many women, especially in this country, have sallow 
skins. This is due, in great part, to overuse of creams, and in* 
sufficient use of soap and water. Remember the old maxim, 
“Beauty commonly produces love, cleanliness preserves it.” The 
“it” can refer to either love or beauty. It is true of both. And 
the foundation for cleanliness, as has been said many times al¬ 
ready, is the use of soap and water. A daily bath, soap and water 
on the face alternate nights, and cold water every morning, occa¬ 
sional hot towel applications to steam your face, followed by very 
cold water or ice to tone up the skin and strengthen the muscles— 
then your face will be thoroughly clean. Weekly massage with 
skin food or cold cream, using a light rotary movement, wards off 
wrinkles and livens the skin. Little water during the day, unless 
the skin gets really dirty, but occasionally a sponge-off with a re¬ 
freshing lotion—this keeps the skin looking fresh. These sugges¬ 
tions have all been made before, but they must be reiterated, as 
they are particularly important if you use cosmetics. 

Foundation creams are not nearly as necessary as most peo¬ 
ple think. Overuse is dangerous and clogs the skin. The most 
skilful users of cosmetics do not use any foundation cream at all, 
or if any, very little. They use, invariably, a good paste rouge, and 
apply it by rubbing the finger tip lightly over the paste, wiping 
most of the paste off on a cloth, and then applying it very lightly, 
and in the place where their color naturally comes. The reason 
so many people apply rouge badly is that they do not take into con¬ 
sideration their natural color, and after the rouge is applied they 
may flush up, and other people discover that the rouge is in one 
place and the real color in another. In general it should be rather 
high on the cheeks, and shade off gradually, and not applied in a 
dab which forms a distinguishable line. If paste rouge is used, 
it will last throughout the day, and the good kinds do not come 


THE AET OF MAKING UP 


245 


off if the face gets moist from heat, or if it is washed with cool 
water. Over the rouge dust the face lightly with powder that 
tones in with your skin. There are many different shades of pow¬ 
der. The white almost nobody should use. Cream and flesh are 
the best powders for the average complexion, and there is another 
deep creamy tone called Rachel which goes with a darker skin. 
For evening, especially under very bright light, there comes a pale 
lavender powder, used widely on the stage and increasingly by 
women who want to look their best in a ballroom. Remember that 
if you have a large nose, for example, the use of a powder lighter 
than your skin makes your nose look still larger, whereas using a 
flesh or cream powder seems to make it less conspicuous. Always 
have two puffs, one to apply the powder, the other to remove it. 
Loose powders are usually better powders, but compact powders 
are very convenient to carry in your handbag. The powder should 
be used to give a finished look to the skin, and should never be con¬ 
spicuous in itself. 

Lip-sticks should match the rouge exactly, as a different shade 
is very conspicuous by daylight, though in your own home it may 
not show. Do not put the color on with the idea of changing the 
shape of your mouth, but use it to give the red a deeper tone. Very 
few people really need lip-stick, so don’t use it if you can help it. 
Colorless lips are usually due to anemia, and should be corrected 
by internal adjustment, not by external application. After you 
have put on the color, wipe most of it off, as a very little goes a long 
way. 

Making up eyes is exceedingly difficult and usually unneces¬ 
sary. Deep set eyes should never be made up as it makes them 
look even deeper. But very prominent eyes are improved by the 
least little bit of rouge around them. Eyelashes and eyebrows, if 
very colorless, make a face look insipid, and are greatly improved 
by being darkened. If you are a blonde, remember that your lashes 
and brows should be brown, not black, so get an eyebrow pencil of 
the proper color. If you use anything on your lashes, apply it with 


246 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PEKSONAL BEAUTY 


great care, and be sure that it does not make your lashes stick to¬ 
gether or look heavy and unnatural, and above all that it does not 
get into your eyes. Mascara is what is usually used for the lashes. 

Before I go on to make-up for amateur theatricals, let me say 
again: Do not use any make-up if it is unnecessary, and if you 
use it, do it artistically. Artistic make-up is always very spar¬ 
ingly applied. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, a touch of 
rouge, powder, and possibly a little darkening for the eyebrows is 
all that is needed. Never try to cover blemishes by lightening 
them. That only emphasizes them. Use anything but white pow¬ 
der on a prominent nose, on prominent cheekbones, or over facial 
blemishes. 

Making up for theatricals is a different proposition. Profes¬ 
sionals would, naturally, not depend on a book of this kind for in¬ 
structions, so these rules are intended for the uninitiated. In in¬ 
troduction, advice from Miss Laurette Taylor to the amateurs may 
help prevent some of what she considers the glaring mistakes they 
make in using make-up. In the first place, she told me, they forget 
that they are usually nearer their audience than if they were on a 
professional stage, and do not need so much make-up. Most of 
them, consequently, overdo it frightfully, and make themselves 
almost ridiculous. Another point she made was that excitement 
brings up the natural color, so that bad make-up is exposed and 
the effect is not what they themselves would wish. Always, be¬ 
fore applying theatrical make-up, study your natural tendencies, 
and then carry the line of rouge far enough so as to tone in with 
the flush that is so sure to come during the evening. Use grease 
paint as a foundation, and get the color that suits your skin. The 
standard theatrical grease paint, known the world over, is Leich- 
ner’s, and amateurs would save a great deal of trouble and get 
better effects if they used this instead of attempting to make their 
own or to get some substitute. It comes in many shades, desig¬ 
nated by numbers, and the shade should be chosen which is best 
for each particular skin. Carry this foundation well down over 


THE ART OF MAKING UP 


247 


the neck. (Neglect of this is another mistake to which amateurs 
are liable.) Then apply the rouge, remembering again to follow 
the natural lines where your color rises. Study the lights and 
shadows, and remember that white brings out features and red 
lessens them. Miss Taylor also emphasized the mistake that ama¬ 
teurs make in changing the shape of the mouth. Follow the nat¬ 
ural lines, darkening the color in the centre, but not stopping alto¬ 
gether before the natural limits are reached. As for eyes, she said 
that deep set eyes should never be made up, or they will appear 
almost lost in the head from the other side of the footlights. Blue 
pencils should be used sparingly, even on the lids of prominent 
eyes. The brows should never diverge from the normal line. If 
your own eyebrows do not give this divergence away, the line of 
your hair will do it. The only time when you are justified in alter¬ 
ing materially the shape of the brows is when you wear a wig. 
Then you are at liberty to do many things that would not other¬ 
wise be permissible. You may not only change the line of the eye¬ 
brows but you may change the natural color, to tone in with the 
color of the wig, and you may use more make-up around the eyes, 
to give the effect of a different color, if the wig demands it. Miss 
Taylor said that amateurs used too much foundation cream under 
the grease paint, and that with good grease paint no foundation 
cream was necessary. It is easily removed with vaseline or cold 
cream, and every bit must be taken off. Warm water and soap as 
a final cleansing process should follow and then the tone of the 
skin should be livened by means of cold water or ice. In closing 
she emphasized again the point that amateurs must not try to de¬ 
stroy their own individuality, that in applying grease paint, rouge, 
lip-stick, eyebrow pencils, and make-up about the eyes they must 
follow their natural tendencies. 

If a part demands considerable divergence from your natural 
type a few main principles form the basis for character make-up. 
If the face is short and broad, rouge on the temples and the out¬ 
side of the cheeks changes the shape. If the face is thin and nar- 


248 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


row, you should use only light colored powder and no rouge at 
these points. Hollows are filled out with white, enlargements re¬ 
duced with red. There is not space here to attempt to describe 
particular make-up for character parts, but these rules form a 
working basis. 



PART IV 

THE FEATURES 








© Joel Feder 

BEAUTY IS ENHANCED BY SPARKLING EYES AND WELL-SHAPED 

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CHAPTER I 


THE EYES AND EARS 


T HE general health shows more quickly in the eyes than in 
any other part of the face, and the connection between all 
eye troubles and their beauty makes it seem that the only 
wholly successful beautifier of the eyes is good health. If a per¬ 
son gets run down, is nervous, or tired, or irritable, the eyes tell 
the secret. Strained, tired eyes are never beautiful, drooping lids 
hide expression, puffy, discolored or inflamed lids are unattrac¬ 
tive, thin lashes and eyebrows give a peculiar expression. And all 
these things may be remedied in great degree by healthful living 
and by care. One cannot change the shape of the eyes or their 
color, but these are of minor importance compared to the expres¬ 
sion, and health gives an expression of joy in life that is beauty in 
itself. The elements of good health are acquired by exercise, 
proper diet, sleep, and fresh air. Try these remedies and you will 
find that your eyes have lost their tired look and the dark circles 
have disappeared from under them. 

If the strain continues consult an oculist. If there is noth¬ 
ing the matter you will be relieved to know it; if there is, it is 
high time you found it out and had it remedied. Sometimes, espe¬ 
cially if you are young, the trouble is temporary. But even if you 
have to wear glasses for the rest of your life, you need not feel 
that your chance at beauty is gone. The last chapter of this book 
gives you a few helpful hints about the type of glasses you should 
wear and their effect on your looks. Carefully chosen glasses 
need not hurt your looks, they may enhance some of your good 
points, detract from some of your bad, and give your eyes a strong 
look that is infinitely more attractive than the strained expres- 

253 


254 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 

sion in eyes that need glasses. So don’t let your vanity ruin your 
eyes. 

Eye strain is often the result of careless treatment of your 
eyes. They are your most precious possession, and they can stand 
no abuse. Be careful of your reading light, and of your position 
when reading or writing. It has more to do with eye strain than 
you may imagine. A cramped position throws off the normal 
focus, besides acting on nerve centres closely connected with the 
eyes. For writing your light should be on the left, so as not to 
throw a shadow over your paper. For reading the light should 
come over the left shoulder, from the back. Hold your book where 
it is most comfortable, but if you hold it either very close or very 
far away your eyes need an oculist’s attention. 

The question of cleansing the eyes and using eyewash of solu¬ 
tion of boracic acid is one that is constantly before the public. 
Many people use eyewashes constantly, arguing that they rest the 
eyes and remove dust or any foreign substance. But prominent 
oculists agree that constant use of boracic acid is harmful, that 
compresses alternating hot and cold water are more restful for 
tired eyes, and that the natural moisture of the eyes keeps them 
clean and is the one safe way of cleansing them. If an oculist 
prescribes any eyewash, that is a different matter. But do not 
use one of your own initiative. The introduction of anything into 
the eye is apt to cause untold harm. Wash your eyes thoroughly 
with the lids closed. This removes dust from the eyelashes. The 
“tears” in the eyes will do the rest. Next time you feel that your 
eyes are strained from constant use, try the compresses. Take 
fresh pads of absorbent cotton. Have bowls of very hot and cold 
water ready, and alternate. This stimulates the circulation and 
rests the muscles. Always end with the cold compress, as the cold 
tones up the muscles and the hot relaxes. Let the wet compress 
lie on the eyelid until it loses its heat or coldness, as the case 
may be. 

If you have a cinder in your eye, it is best to keep the hand 


THE EYES AND EARS 


255 


away from the eye and try an eyewash before attempting to get 
it out in any other way. Use warm boracic acid, a teaspoonful to 
a glass of water, or salt and water,—a teaspoonful to a pint of 
warm water. Dry with a piece of absorbent cotton, rubbing gently 
towards the nose. If this does not remove the cinder, or if you are 
where an eyewash or any scientific aid is out of the question for 
the time being, there are a number of old-fashioned remedies for 
getting it out which are frequently successful. Lift the upper lid 
by the lashes, and pull it well down over the lower lid. Then try 
rolling the upper lid back, over a matchstick. You will need as¬ 
sistance, as you cannot see when the upper lid is rolled back. This 
exposes the eyeball and usually shows up the offending cinder, 
which is then easily removed with a corner of a clean handker¬ 
chief. Blowing the nose and rubbing the other eye have the same 
basis for success; they cause the irritated eye to water, and the 
cinder is thus carried off naturally. If you cannot get rid of it 
by any simple method, go to an oculist. The “cinder” may prove 
to be an infinitesimal bit of steel, invisible to the naked eye, but 
capable of causing not only pain but serious trouble. 

There are many simple exercises that will help strengthen the 
muscles of the eyes, and afford relief for puffiness and discolora¬ 
tion. Rolling the eyeballs is the very simplest of these exercises. 
Another easy one is tapping gently but rhythmically the region 
around the closed eye. This helps puffiness, and any form of vi¬ 
bration is good for circulation. A very effective circulation exer¬ 
cise and eye massage is the following: 

A. (1) Lower and raise the upper lid without moving the 
lower lid, keeping eyes forward. 

(2) Look straight ahead at one object until eyes tingle. 

(3) Look up, down, ten times. Keep head rigid. 

(4) Look right, left, ten times. Keep head rigid. 

(5) Turn eyes left, up, right, down, five times. Close and 
rest. Then repeat, beginning right. Keep head rigid. 


256 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


(6) Lie down for a few minutes with eyes closed. These ex¬ 
ercises may cause a slight dizziness at first. If so try with fewer 
repetitions. 

(7) Convergence exercise: Hold your finger in front of you, 
on a line with your nose. Keeping your eyes fixed on the finger, 
bringing it slowly towards you, then draw it away. 

B. (1) Place open hand in front of face, with tip of middle 
finger on the closed eye. Look down, using a light rotary move¬ 
ment of the finger, with scarcely perceptible pressure. 

(2) Stroke, starting above eye at inner corner, out and back 
under the eye. Four times. 

(3) Tap gently around edge, not touching the eyeball. 

There is a circular muscle around the eye, and this is strength¬ 
ened by a more vigorous molding massage. Any good molding 
cream may be used. Mold with two fingers, from inner corner out 
to temple, then above from bridge of nose outward, with a firm, 
upward, lifting movement. Rhythm is the secret of effective mas¬ 
sage. Keep this up for five minutes. Then place cold pads of cot¬ 
ton, saturated in cold water, or, if you have it, with some skin 
freshener. A tablespoon of face salts in a glass of cold water 
makes a very pleasant lotion. 

The care of the lashes and the eyebrows is very closely con¬ 
nected with the care of the eyes, and a healthy condition of both 
is essential to beauty. Scanty eyebrows and eyelashes are due to 
the same causes as scanty hair, and with careful treatment should 
be easily remedied. Rubbing in a tiny bit of white vaseline or 
olive oil promotes their growth, and alternate hot and cold appli¬ 
cations stimulate the circulation and consequently strengthen 
them and increase their growth. Sometimes they will fall out to 
an alarming degree. A certain number are coming out constantly, 
and new ones coming in in their place. The average length of life 
for a single hair of an eyelash is 165 days and the renewal is con¬ 
stant. But sometimes a purulent secretion destroys the roots and 
if the roots are destroyed the hairs cannot be renewed. The funda- 


THE EYES AND EAES 


257 


mental cause of this lies not in the eyelids, but in the general con¬ 
dition, which is not up to par, owing to malnutrition. This trouble 
is usually begun in childhood, and a change in the diet, under the 
doctor’s directions, effects a cure. Excessive use of sweets—pie 
and candy—is most often responsible. 

To strengthen lashes and eyebrows, try pulling, as you do 
your hair. Do not be worried if this causes the hairs to come out 
at first. It is better for them to come out if they are loose, than to 
stay in at the risk of injuring the roots. If they come out in the 
pulling, new ones come in their place. Catch a number of hairs 
between the finger and the thumb, and pull outward, pressing 
lightly on the hair. Don’t clip the ends. This is dangerous, and 
ineffective, as it merely coarsens the hairs and causes them to 
come in straight. 

The lashes and the eyebrows should have constant care, to 
keep them in good condition, and to increase their beauty. Fine 
brushes come to keep them clean, to stimulate their proper 
growth, and to give them fine lines. Straggly eyebrows detract 
from the general appearance, and are unsightly. Regular brush¬ 
ing, shaping them with your fingers, and plucking the most con¬ 
spicuously straggly hairs will soon result in well-shaped eyebrows. 
Upward brushing of the lashes gives them the sweep we all desire. 
Be careful that in powdering you do not leave the dust on your 
eyelashes and eyebrows. It shows a lack of care of details that is 
inexcusable. If you use a pencil on your eyebrows, be sure to get 
the right color. Do not use black if your eyebrows are brown. Of 
this and the use of mascara on the lashes, and make-up on the eye¬ 
lids, we had more to say in a previous chapter. 

THE EARS 

There is comparatively little to be said about the care of the 
ears in its relation to beauty. The first principle is cleanliness. 
Wash the outer ear carefully with a soft wash cloth, but, as re- 


258 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


gards the inner ear, remember the old adage that “nothing smaller 
than the elbow should be used.” If the outer ear is kept thor¬ 
oughly clean, the inner ear does not get dirty. If it does, go to an 
aurist at regular intervals, and have it cleaned out. Two trips to 
the aurist each year will cost you less than a dozen visits, resulting 
from a boil in the inner ear. And most boils in the ear are due to 
cleansing with clumsy instruments in the hands of the amateur. 
Besides the financial consideration, there is nothing more pain¬ 
ful. Do not put anything into the ear, unless it is prescribed by 
an aurist. 

Protruding ears, even in an adult, are greatly helped by wear¬ 
ing a cap, designed for the purpose, and resembling the ear caps 
of babies. This may be worn at night, and if used persistently, 
will improve the ears tremendously. There is no excuse for any¬ 
one having prominent ears; it is due to carelessness on the part 
of the mothers, for a baby’s ears can always be trained to lie flat 
against the head. Large ears are not ugly, if they are close to the 
head. 

If the ears are very red or very white, the fault is usually with 
the circulation, and careful rubbing and massaging will correct 
the trouble. Fortunately for those having ugly ears, the present 
style of hairdressing covers all or most of the ears. If your ears 
are of the type known as “cauliflower” ears, or if they protrude 
to an extent that cannot be remedied by an ear cap, get in touch 
with a reliable surgeon who specializes in what is called “plastic 
surgery.” But I cannot emphasize the word “reliable” too em¬ 
phatically. A quack—and there are plenty of them in this branch 
of surgery—might ruin what chance you had of having good- 
looking ears. For further details regarding this form of surgery, 
see the chapter on “Renewing Your Youth.” 



© Joel Feder 

BEAUTIFUL TEETH ARE A NEVER-FAILING ATTRACTION 






i 



•V 



CHAPTER II 


THE MOUTH AND TEETH 

T HE care of the mouth and teeth should begin with birth, and 
continue throughout life, both as a means to health and a fac¬ 
tor in beauty. Recent years have proved how many diseases 
are due to neglect of the teeth, and it needs no argument to prove 
that beautiful teeth are of inestimable value in general appear¬ 
ance. How many otherwise good-looking people are spoiled by 
prominent, discolored teeth! As is the case with every part of the 
body, the condition of the teeth depends on the general health and 
upon proper diet. Too many sweets bring decay, decay means 
filling, and no matter how perfect a filling may be, it does not 
compare with the natural enamel of the tooth. 

Before the first teeth come and afterwards for some time, a 
baby’s mouth should be washed at least twice a day with boric 
acid solution. Wrap the end of the finger with absorbent cotton 
and dip it into a fresh solution (a teaspoonful to a cup of water), 
then wash out the inside of the mouth, especially the gums and 
tongue. During teething, use—by doctor’s prescription—some 
lime water in the milk. This tends to make the first teeth stronger, 
and the strength of the first teeth has a great deal to do with the 
strength of the second teeth. If the first teeth decay and fall out 
early, the second teeth are usually soft. Clean the first teeth oc¬ 
casionally with milk of magnesia. This counteracts acidity, the 
greatest destroyer of teeth. Always start a child brushing his 
own teeth by the third year. Use a small, soft toothbrush, and 
form the regular habit early in life. Children’s teeth are often 
stained unnecessarily by medicines containing iron, or other stain- 

261 


262 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


ing matter. Such medicines should always be taken through a 
glass tube. 

The brushing of teeth is of vital importance in keeping them 
free from food particles, in removing the coating which forms over 
night, and in giving the teeth a smooth polish. It is important to 
select a brush with rather short bristles, set in groups not too 
closely packed together, and with the central bristles in each 
group somewhat longer than the surrounding bristles. Discard 
the brush before—not after—it becomes too soft or ragged from 
long use. The brush should not be too broad, and the handle 
should be bent in the direction of the tuft on the brush, so that 
the curved surfaces of the teeth can be more easily reached. Brush 
the teeth on the outside with an up-and-down movement, and the 
back of the teeth with a drawing movement following the curve 
of the gums. The teeth should be brushed after every meal if pos¬ 
sible, and once a day, preferably at night, before retiring, with 
tooth powder or tooth paste—your dentist will recommend one 
particularly suited to your needs. If it is impossible to brush 
your teeth after every meal, the morning and evening are essential 
and everyone can manage that. Twice a week the exposed sur¬ 
faces of the teeth should be gone over with tooth powder and a 
blunted orange stick. This smoothes away all roughness and ren¬ 
ders subsequent cleaning with the brush a simple matter. If this 
is done with children’s teeth, many later troubles will be elim¬ 
inated. Dental floss should be drawn between the teeth once a 
day, but great care must be taken not to cut up into the gums as 
this makes the gums sore and loosens the teeth. Frequent rinsing 
of the mouth at night with some mild antiseptic solution is very 
important. If there is a good deal of acidity, no mouth-wash is 
more easily obtained or more effective than salt and water. Milk 
of magnesia is very good for this trouble. An agreeable mouth¬ 
wash is made of tincture of orris, rose water, and alcohol in equal 
parts, flavored with a drop of oil of bitter almond. Regular and 
careful care of the teeth will, in most cases, prevent decay, but 


THE MOUTH AND TEETH 


263 


some teeth are so soft that decay sets in in spite of care. Every¬ 
one should visit the dentist at least twice a year, for thorough 
cleansing and careful examination of the teeth for possible cavi¬ 
ties. If your teeth are subject to decay or discolor quickly, you 
should go more frequently. 

The shape of the mouth depends very much on the shape of 
the teeth, and crooked, overcrowded teeth may spoil a mouth that 
is in itself well shaped. This should be attended to in childhood, 
in the first place by preventing thumb-sucking, and in the second 
place by having teeth that are out of line straightened. Improper 
breathing is another frequent cause for malformation of the 
mouth. This is, in childhood, the result of thumb-sucking, much 
more frequently than mothers realize. A receding lower jaw, a 
partly open mouth, and prominent upper teeth, will make a mouth 
look very ugly, no matter what its natural shape. If the trouble 
is due to adenoids, it is usually detected in early childhood, and 
operated upon, if it cannot be corrected otherwise. 

Sores in the mouth and on the lips may be more serious than 
they at first appear and a doctor should be consulted. However, 
there is what is commonly known as “canker,” a small ulcer in the 
mouth, that does not need medical treatment. Simply touch it 
several times a day with a pure-nitrate-of-silver pencil and it will 
soon disappear. A good mouth-wash for this condition is a satu¬ 
rated solution of chlorate of potash. (By a saturated solution is 
meant a solution of water which has absorbed all of the chlorate 
of potash which it can take.) 

More people suffer from offensive breath than are willing to 
acknowledge it, but unfortunately, it is apparent to your friends 
long before you are conscious of it yourself. Indigestion is largely 
responsible, and you must cure that to get at the root of the mat¬ 
ter. But in the meantime polish your teeth with peppermint 
water, and rinse your mouth with a mouth-wash made with one 
quart of distilled water and seven-tenths of an ounce of potassium 
permanganate. Another cause of bad breath is a coating on the 
12 


264 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PEBSONAL BEAUTY 


tongue. This forms on the back of the tongue and often extends 
forward almost to the tip. To get rid of this, scrape off these 
masses of thickened, decomposing epithelium (outer layer of mu¬ 
cous membrane) with the ring of one handle of a pair of scissors. 
The cause of this coating must be removed to prevent recurrence, 
and this is a matter for medical attention. 

There are some deformities of the mouth, such as harelip, 
which are permanently disfiguring, if not attended to by reputable 
doctors early in life. The operation on harelip has been brought 
to such a degree of perfection that it is scarcely visible and does 
not twist the mouth as it did in the early days. Many people twist 
their mouths out of their natural shape by habitual pouting, by 
pursing the lips, and so on. Too much emphasis cannot be laid on 
the importance of holding your mouth in a natural position. Bit¬ 
ing the lips is responsible for more thick lips than Nature. Keep 
your hands away from your mouth. If they had been intended to 
be there, they would grow there. A natural, happy expression and 
well-kept teeth will make up for deficiencies and give you as good- 
looking a mouth as anyone need have. 


CHAPTER III 


RENEWING YOUR YOUTH 
PLASTIC SURGERY 

A BOOK of this kind could not be complete without at least 
mention of the existence of plastic surgery. On the other 
hand, it is not within the bounds of such a book to go into 
any details regarding a subject so outside the province of the lay 
mind, and so comparatively new in the province of surgery. It is, 
however, a well-defined branch of surgery, and anyone who wfishes 
to find out about it should consult a reliable doctor and find out 
from him who stands highest in that branch. There are innumer¬ 
able quacks who claim to be able to restore youth and beauty by 
a simple operation, and doubtless may have been taken in by their 
claims and been disfigured for life as a result. 

Up to this time, plastic surgery has been resorted to largely 
by members of the theatrical profession, who find in their vanish¬ 
ing youth and beauty, the imminent loss of their means of liveli¬ 
hood. As it becomes more widely understood, it will probably be 
as generally used—and abused—as is permanent waving of the 
hair. For it has unquestioned success, in the hands of the expert. 
Be sure of your surgeon. Otherwise, let your misfortune be on 
your own head. 

Plastic surgery claims to be able to restore the contours of 
youth and eliminate the signs of age, such as wrinkles and sag¬ 
ging cheeks, by what is known as “face lifting/’ The shape of the 
nose may be changed by the removal of a part of the bone, or by 
inserting a piece of bone. Crows’ feet and bagginess around the 
eyes, malformation of the mouth, disfiguring ears, scars, and 
birthmarks—all these fall within its province, and operations in 

265 


266 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


cutting muscles, grafting skin, tightening skin by removing a 
small portion of it, are performed with marked success. 

“Face lifting” is, perhaps, the operation most often performed 
along the “restoring of youth” lines. An incision is made from the 
region of the temple to the ear—a cut about three inches in length. 
A triangular piece of skin is removed, then the skin is pulled to¬ 
gether and stitches taken. The stitches are removed after about 
three days, and in ten days the wound is healed, and soon is 
scarcely visible. Provided the surgeon is a good one, the opera¬ 
tion is a comparatively simple one. The result is that the loose¬ 
ness of the skin that shows in wrinkles and sagging is gone, and 
those tell-tale signs of age are gone at the same time. 

Other operations, such as those performed by filling out the 
skin with paraffin, are less successful. The story is told of a young 
man who wished to acquire a firm chin in place of one that was re¬ 
ceding. The paraffin operation was performed in the winter, and 
for a few months all was well. Then came hot weather, and the 
paraffin melted, and dropped down, making the chin far worse 
than it had been before the operation. This is but one example of 
the dangers of trying experiments along uncharted lines. Do your 
best with what you have, and in the long run, you will be far 
better off. 

THE SERUM OF YOUTH 

This problem of attempting to renew your youth by trusting 
yourself to experimentalists is more serious than many will be¬ 
lieve. Constantly, one reads in the papers of wonderful new treat¬ 
ments which will work marvels in a few hours. It is safe to say 
that the vast majority of them are fakes. How many poor deluded 
women are disfigured for life, one cannot guess, but judging from 
the credulity of the average public the number is legion. So, be¬ 
fore you enter into any experiments, be sure that the system has 
been well tested and is acknowledged by the medical profession. 

In these days when one is tempted to inquire “How are your 


RENEWING YOUR YOUTH 


267 


glands?” a few words as to the mysteries of gland transference 
and of the new serum for the restoration of youth are not amiss 
in a book of this nature. As a science this is still in its infancy, 
and how much will come of it remains to be seen. Years of patient 
study and experiment have brought some results in the labora¬ 
tories in Vienna and Berlin and Paris, but until recently these 
results have been obtained only after an operation so serious and 
so painful that only men could stand the strain. It is not for the 
uninitiated to attempt to go into detail regarding this operation, 
but in the main it was a transference of monkey glands to a human 
being. For several years, however, skilled scientists have been 
working towards a new end, a serum which by its injection could 
restore to women the youth and beauty and vigor that years had 
taken from them. 

The chief exponent of this marvelous new science in this coun¬ 
try is Madame Helena Rubinstein, and an interview with her 
makes one feel that though she makes no impossible claims for 
this infant science, she herself is convinced of its truth and sure 
of its eventual success. As a student of medicine and a scientist 
she says that she has followed its slow progress, step by step, and 
studied it under the leading exponents in Europe. She spends 
months each year with scientists in her laboratories, working over 
the problems, comparing results with other students, and advanc¬ 
ing towards perfecting the system. She tells of trying it out in 
her European business houses with gratifying success, and she 
longs for the day when she can offer it to all who wish to regain 
their vanished youth. Within a few days of her return from Eu¬ 
rope recently, she told me that she had had sixteen thousand ap¬ 
plications from women who trusted in her skill and believed in the 
power of the serum to the extent of putting themselves in her 
hands. 

“But, alas, mademoiselle, how could I treat so many with the 
small amount of the precious serum I had brought back with me? 
I chose a few hundred—the rest will have to wait. I wish I could 


268 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


at once give it to all humanity.” Of these few hundred she had 
more to say. The results she claims were amazing. 

“The serum is injected by hypodermic needle in the upper arm 
at intervals of two or three days over a space of several weeks. 
But in scarcely two weeks the results are apparent. You should 
see how the eyes brighten, lose the haggard look, the tired look, 
and regain their sparkle; the skin softens and freshens and glows 
with youth once more, the wrinkles disappear as if a gentle hand 
had smoothed them all away and left the skin like a child’s; the 
hair regains its lustre; the blood flows faster in the veins and they 
feel once more the vigor and enthusiasm of youth, they walk with 
elastic step, they straighten up, they are indeed young again. 
And when you know you look young, you cannot help but feel 
young.” 

“How long does the one treatment last?” I asked. 

“It should be taken every year, twice, if possible, and then a 
woman may keep the appearance of thirty-five until she is 
seventy.” 

“And will it prolong life?” 

“Ah, it is too soon to say. Perhaps—in two years’ time—per¬ 
haps then I can tell you more—but now, well, I should not like to 
claim too much. The restoration of youth—that I can claim. 
More I dare not say.” 

“Is there any pain, any danger in the treatment?” 

“Indeed, no, the administration is so simple, it does not cause 
even discomfort, much less illness. No harm could possibly come 
of it. The results, it is true, vary with individuals, but in all 
there is a change for the better.” 

* This serum, it seems, is obtained in a new way, a way that is 
as yet known to only a few, but that will be soon made known to 
the profession and later to the public. Meantime, it is being tested 
out by many careful scientists. It is a colorless liquid, of a con¬ 
sistency between water and glycerin. 


PART V 

THE HANDS 









CHAPTER I 


THE CARE OF THE HANDS 


M ANY people feel that the care of the hands means primarily 
the care of the nails, while in reality the hands them¬ 
selves are of utmost importance. People with ugly hands 
are usually very conscious of their hands and by this very fact 
draw attention to them. The shape of the hands has compara¬ 
tively little to do with their charm. Rather it is the texture and 
color of the skin, the nails, and the way the hands are used. All 
these factors are practically within the control of each person, so 
there is really no reason for having unattractive hands. Learn to 
care for them, whether you visit a manicurist each week or do it 
yourself. Some people who do their own housework have the best- 
kept hands imaginable, but it is not a thing that “just happens” 
like beautiful eyes, a delicately molded nose, or a well-shaped 
mouth. 

Protect your hands by rubber gloves, or if you find that the 
rubber makes it difficult to manage things when your hands are 
in water, use canvas gloves, which may be bought at a five and ten 
cent store. Then keep a cut lemon near your sink. It is useful in 
more ways than you can well imagine. It removes stains from the 
hands, it whitens the skin, and it cleans the nails. Dig the nails 
into the rind, and the ugly line that forms deep under the free end 
of the nail will be reached effectively. After washing dishes, rub 
your hands with vaseline or cold cream, to counteract the drying 
effect of the dish water. Also the vaseline will keep your nails 
from becoming brittle. Always be careful to dry your hands thor¬ 
oughly. 

This advice applies especially to the women who work around 

271 


272 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


their homes. Far harder on hands than housework is outdoor 
work or play. Gardening breaks the nails, stains the hands, and 
roughens the skin. Here again the advice about wearing gloves 
is important. Old leather gloves, a half size too lalge by prefer¬ 
ence, come in very conveniently for gardening. Tight gloves are 
useless. That is, unless your gardening consists in watching other 
people do the work. The lemon comes to the fore again after pull¬ 
ing weeds or picking flowers or planting, and you will find that it 
takes off the stains that warm water and ivory soap will not re¬ 
move. Borax in the water will help remove grease. A good lo¬ 
tion* for stains is the following. You may mix it and put it in a 
bottle to be used when needed: 

Glycerin, 2 ounces, 

Water, 2 ounces, 

Lemon Juice, 4 tablespoonfuls, 

Alcohol, 4 drams. 

Another good recipe for stained hands may suit some skins better: 

Glycerin, 6 drams, 

Aqua Ammonia, iy 2 drams, 

Spirits of Myrcia (bay rum), 6 drams, 

Water, 4 ounces. 

It is advisable to protect your hands before exposing them to 
either cold weather or bright sunlight by rubbing into them a little 
vanishing cream. I find that a thorough rubbing with Hind’s 
Honey and Almond Cream is excellent. Dust them with talcum 
powder as further protection, and you will find that they can stand 
exposure far better. This is particularly important for people 
playing golf or tennis, when it is hard to protect the hands. If, 
however, your hands persistently chap on exposure there is one 
very simple remedy within the reach of everyone, and that is corn- 
meal. Mix it with a little fine Castile soap and warm water. 
Wash the hands thoroughly, then rub in a little olive oil or vase¬ 
line, and wipe off. This warm water washing should be done at 

*Many of the formulae in this chapter are reprinted from “My Lady’s Handbook,’’ by 
W. S. Birge, M.D., by courtesy of the publishers, Messrs. George Sully & Co., New York. 



THE CAKE OF THE HANDS 


273 


night, so as not to expose ttie hands to the cold after using warm 
water. Another helpful thing in the case of chapped hands is 
sleeping in old cotton gloves, after covering the hands with a good 
cold cream. The gloves can then be washed out in the morning. 
A simple recipe for chapped hands is used successfully by many 
particular women: 

Rose Water, 2 ounces, 

Glycerin, 2 ounces, 

Carbolic Acid, 10 drops. 

Ked hands are due to various causes—exposure, when they 
are usually helped by the treatment given chapped hands, bad cir¬ 
culation, when massage is effective, or some form of eczema, which 
can be treated only by a doctor. Try this simple massage at night. 
Take a rich developing cream—there are many good ones on the 
market. Begin rubbing it in with the finger tips, rubbing back to 
the knuckles with a rotary movement. Then, using a molding 
movement, work the cream into the back of the hand and the palm. 
From the wrists up the forearm use the rotary movement again, 
this time with the whole hand, while you massage the hand itself 
with the fingers alone. Work the cream in well, and cover the 
hands with old gloves as in the treatment of chapped hands. This 
massage helps the circulation and gets at the root of the trouble. 
Where the redness seems to be due to a surface skin condition the 
following treatment is effective: 

Every night wash with hot water and soap, rinse thoroughly, 
and rub in this skin food: 

Cocoa Butter, 1 ounce, 

Oil of Sweet Almond, 1 ounce, 

Oxide of Zinc, 1 dram. 

Borax, 1 dram, 

Oil of Bergamot, 6 drops. 

Heat the cocoa butter and oil of almonds in a porcelain dish, when 
blended add the zinc oxide and borax, stir and cool and add the oil 
of bergamot. Leave a good deal of this skin food on the hands 
after rubbing it in well, and wear gloves to bed. If during the day 


274 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PEKSONAL BEAUTY 


you used a lotion after washing, the condition would be materially 
helped. 

Glycerin, 2 ounces, 

Water, 2 ounces, 

Lemon Juice, 4 tablespoonfuls, 

Carbolic Acid, 6 drops. 

Sunburn and freckles on the hands are treated just as they 
are on the face, but a great deal of discomfort and disfigurement 
from such things would be spared if the hands were protected by 
vanishing cream and powder, as suggested above. A soothing lo¬ 
tion for burn is made of equal parts of glycerin, lemon juice, and 
rose water, with the addition of two drops of carbolic acid. 

It is coming to be more and more general to treat the hands 
and forearms at the same time that the nails are manicured. This 
treatment is very advantageous, and the reason back of it is sound. 
It is a recognition of the fact that “manicuring” properly means 
“the care of the hands,” not, as is popularly thought, “the care of 
the nails.” Beautifully kept nails in ugly hands are not enough to 
redeem the hands. The fingers should be tapering and slender. 
Treatment will tend to help the shape of the fingers by pressing 
out the ends, if they are flattened and square, and by reducing the 
joints, or if the enlargement has gone too far, making the enlarge¬ 
ment less prominent by molding the rest of the finger into con¬ 
formity. The palm of the hand should be firm, not soft and flabby, 
and massaging and exercises help bring this about. The skin 
should be soft and white, and treatments with oil and skin fresh¬ 
eners improve the skin tremendously. Chapped knuckles are due 
in part to exposure, in part to dirt, and hand treatments stimulate 
the circulation so that exposure cannot have this effect, and 
cleanse the skin in a thorough way that ordinary washing cannot 
accomplish. It fills out the hollows, reduces the veins, and gives 
the hands of even elderly people an inimitable look of youth. Age 
can often be told by the hands, when the face would still deceive. 
Then the wrists should be supple and smooth and firm, and a hand 
treatment that stopped at the wrist would not take into account 


THE CARE OF THE HAND& 


275 


the fact that a woman cares most about her appearance when she 
is in evening dress. This applies equally to the forearms, which 
may also suffer from enlarged veins, hollows, scrawniness, and 
roughness, especially about the elbows. The modern method of 
hand treatment extends from the finger tips to above the elbows, 
and though more effective in the hands of an expert, can be imi¬ 
tated at home, with gratifying results. 

The method employed by the up-to-date manicurist is de¬ 
scribed in the next chapter, while the remainder of this chapter 
takes into account various disfiguring things about the hands 
which may be cured or at least remedied by simple forms of home 
massage. The massage movements used for hand and arm mas¬ 
sage are very easy, consisting as they do of the simple rotary 
movement, as employed on the fingers and the arms, and the 
kneading or molding of the back and palm of the hand. A mani¬ 
curist should know the anatomy of the hand and arm, so as to give 
the greatest benefit. This treatment is excellent for relaxing the 
nerves, for resting the arms, and for cases of rheumatism and 
certain forms of neuritis. If you have anything of this nature 
the matter with your arms, consult a physician before trying 
massage, as it is beneficial for certain troubles, but not for others. 

Enlarged veins are very unsightly, and though seen usually 
in the hands of elderly people, are sometimes seen in younger 
people. With old people it is due to breaking down of the walls 
of the veins, and massage should be very gentle. With younger 
people the fault is generally with the circulation, and massage 
is very beneficial. Use the same simple movements described 
above, especially emphasizing the kneading or molding of the 
backs of the hands. Relaxation exercises, described in the intro¬ 
ductory chapter, are good for enlarged veins. Try raising your 
hands above your head occasionally. This draws the blood from 
the hands, and lets down the walls of the veins; it is, of course, 
not sufficient in itself to cure the trouble. 

Another use for massage is the reduction of enlarged joints. 


276 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


These, of course, are generally due to a gouty condition, but some¬ 
times are seen in the hands of a person who uses her hands 
constantly—in playing the piano, using a typewriter, and so on. 
Where the condition is due to gout, or a chalky deposit, or some 
internal cause, the case should be treated by a physician. Ma¬ 
nipulating the joints in this manner will help where the cause is 
primarily former, or present, occupation. The problem is to build 
out the tissue so as to reduce the prominence of the joint. Hold 
the hand out straight, place the middle and ring fingers of the 
other hand on the palm of the hand, and work with the thumb, 
gently pressing upward and a little outward, and pushing the 
flesh of the back of the hand towards the knuckle. Gentle move¬ 
ments are essential, as much pressure would enlarge the joint 
still more. Never work more than half an hour, and at first not 
more than fifteen minutes. 

Twitching hands sometimes indicate nervousness in a person 
apparently not nervous in other respects. Relaxation exercises 
and massage will be found to be very helpful. Except in cases 
where there is complete nervous breakdown throughout the sys¬ 
tem, this twitching of the hands is for the most part within the 
control of the individual, and as it is extremely trying for others 
as well as for the owner of the hands and is a habit which grows 
on one rapidly, bend every effort of your will toward stopping it 
in the early stages. Twiddling the thumbs and cracking the joints 
are other unattractive habits, frequently seen. Not only do these 
habits tend to become fixed, but they enlarge the joints of the 
hands beyond the power of massage or anything else to remedy. 

Hardened hands are sometimes the result of constant use in 
housework, but sometimes well-cared for hands become hardened 
and coarse. The simplest means of counteracting this tendency 
is to rub into the hands twice a day cocoa butter or olive oil. 
Olive oil is a much more effective means of increasing the natural 
oils than cold cream or vaseline, and its efficacy is not widely 


THE CAKE OF THE HANDS 


277 


enough known. It helps fill out thin hands, as does also cocoa 
butter. 

Hands that are too fat or too thin are generally indications 
of general condition, and are remedied with the change in the 
condition resulting from regulated diet and special exercises. Lo¬ 
cal massage and exercise, however, will be found very helpful. 
The easiest form of exercising the hands and one of the most 
effective is simply gripping with the fingers, and reaching with 
the thumb past the little finger, first on one side, then on the 
other as far as you can press. Fat wrists may be reduced by a 
firm circling movement of the thumb, for the muscles that move 
the thumb are located in the wrist, as you can see. Follow this 
thumb movement with a similar circling movement with the whole 
wrist. If this tires you, relax your whole arm at regular inter¬ 
vals, but not so frequently as to render the exercises ineffective. 

Temperature of the hands is usually a pretty accurate gauge 
of the general bodily condition. Perpetually cold hands indicate 
very poor circulation, and any form of exercise or massage will 
help this condition. Warm, moist hands are due to low vitality, 
and a run-down condition, and building up the system by care¬ 
fully regulated diet, exercise, fresh air, and plenty of rest and 
sleep bring about a cure that no local treatment could effect. The 
local treatment suggested elsewhere is helpful for the time being. 
Dip your hands into hot water, as hot as you can stand, dry 
thoroughly, and rub with dry boracic acid powder or a saturated 
solution of boracic acid in alcohol. Never use any chemical prepa¬ 
ration to stop perspiration in the palms of the hands. The per¬ 
spiratory glands are closer together there and in the soles of the 
feet than anywhere else in the body, and we depend on these 
glands to carry off waste matter from the body. 

The removal of hair on the hands and arms is discussed at 
length elsewhere, but this suggestion may well be repeated here. 
Do not use depilatories. They will cause the hair to come in a 
little coarser and a little darker. Bleach it with peroxide of hy- 


278 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PEKSONAL BEAUTY 


drogen, until it is scarcely noticeable. Peroxide discourages the 
growth of the hair, and in some cases eventually causes it almost 
to disappear. The use of pumice stone is beneficial in many cases. 
Use the real pumice stone, not pumice soap. Hub the skin affected 
sufficiently to wear the hair off but not enough to irritate the skin. 
Afterwards, if the skin is a little bit red, use cold cream. It is very 
generally agreed now that cold cream does not promote the 
growth of the superfluous hair. 

Just a word about gloves. Perhaps they are not as dangerous, 
if wrong, as ill-fitting shoes, but they are outwardly more un¬ 
sightly. Tight gloves give the hands an effect of pudginess, they 
make the palms perspire, and stop the circulation, causing the 
hands to look red and mottled. Persistent wearing of tight gloves 
is a frequent cause of red hands. The same gloves should never 
be worn steadily, day after day, unless they are wash gloves or 
are turned inside out and chemically cleaned at night. If you 
have never examined the inside of your gloves, and you have been 
wearing the same pair constantly, try it and you will no longer 
wonder why you cannot keep your hands clean “in spite of always 
wearing gloves on the street.” It is probably because of “wearing 
gloves on the street.” Soiled gloves cause your hands to chap and 
roughen, and sometimes even cause infection. Fabric gloves are 
much better made than they were a few years ago, and are as 
smart as kid gloves and far more sanitary. Alternate your 
gloves, if you cannot wash them, and you will keep them in better 
condition, just as frequent change of shoes keeps your shoes in 
good condition. Good taste in gloves is indicative of breeding. 
Conspicuous gloves, in extreme modes or vivid colors, are never 
in good taste. 



© Joel Feder 

A BEAUTIFUL ARM AND HAND ARE INVALUABLE ASSETS 





















































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CHAPTER II 


THE CARE OF THE NAILS 


T HERE is no part of the body more constantly in evidence 
than the hands, and almost everyone notices the condition 
in which hands and nails are kept. Ho not flatter yourself 
that you can conceal their condition. When you greet a friend, 
when you talk, whether you use your hands or keep them quietly 
in your lap, when you eat—always your hands are drawing atten¬ 
tion to themselves, whether you like it or not. The very act of 
attempting to conceal them frequently seems to make them more 
noticeable. Treatment of the hands themselves is of utmost im¬ 
portance, care of the nails is absolutely essential. We cannot 
all be born with lovely almond-shaped nails, but we can all do 
much towards improving the natural shape, if it does not come up 
to the mark, and towards keeping them in good condition. Noth¬ 
ing else responds so quickly to care, or repays us so amply for a 
little time and attention. 

The nails are formed from the same substance as the hair, 
strange as it may seem. They are a modified horny tissue, lying 
over the nail bed, which is a portion of the true skin. That which 
makes the scales of fish, the shells of shell-fish, the feathers of 
birds, and the fur of animals, makes hair and nails of human 
beings. Evolution has developed the cells to meet the individual 
needs. The nail has sides and root embedded in the skin, while 
the end is free. Near the root is a semilunar area, popularly 
known as the “moon,” which is more opaque than the rest of the 
nail. This shows more in some people than in others, and in 
certain fingers more than others. The nail is colorless and blood¬ 
less, the pinkish color being due to the transparency of the nail 

281 


13 


282 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PEESONAL BEAUTY 


showing the color of the skin beneath. The blood vessels in the 
region of the semilunar area are scarce, which, in addition to the 
opaque quality of the nail there, is responsible for the whiteness. 
The growth of the nail takes place at the root from the formation 
of new cells which push the nail forward. The growth is very 
slow, varying with the season of the year, with the hand, and 
with the finger. Nails grow faster in summer, just as hair grows 
faster in summer; the nails of the right hand grow more rapidly 
than the nails of the left; and the nails of the longer fingers 
faster than the others. In childhood the growth is more rapid 
than in old age. Anyone who has a split nail or a bruised nail, 
or has lost a nail altogether, is painfully conscious of the slowness 
of growth. Full growth in all cases requires more than one 
hundred days. So it is obvious that, since the nail is renewed 
completely several times a year, it is possible to change materially 
the shape of a nail by systematic care within a few months. 

The part of the nail that requires most careful and constant 
attention is the cuticle, that portion of the skin over the root 
which encroaches on the lunular, sometimes entirely concealing 
it. If it is not kept pushed back it frequently becomes torn, 
forming what are commonly known as hangnails. Then there is 
danger of infection, through foreign substances getting in under 
the torn skin, and from the tendency to pick at the roughness with 
your other nails. There are on the market a number of cuticle re¬ 
movers, but it is best not to use these, as they tend to coarsen the 
edges of the skin and to make the nails brittle and dry. Begular 
use of vaseline or cold cream will soften the cuticle and it can then 
be pushed back with an orange stick or a bone or ivory instrument. 
Be careful not to press too hard as it is easy to injure the root 
of the nail. There are regular instruments for working around 
the edge of the nails, but these are dangerous playthings in the 
hands of the amateur, as they frequently cut the surface of the 
nail, leaving a scar which takes many weeks to grow out. Do not 
cut the cuticle, unless the condition has gone beyond the power 


THE CARE OF THE NAILS 


283 


of redemption, by pressing back; then use very fine cuticle scissors 
or a cuticle knife, and be careful not to cut too far into the skin. 
If you draw blood inadvertently, use some disinfectant at once. 
Constant cutting of the cuticle makes the edges hard and thick. 

A housewife who has to go near the fire constantly should use 
gloves to protect her hands, not only because the heat is bad for 
the hands themselves but because it renders the nails brittle and 
dry. Once again, a lemon should always be kept close at hand. 
It cleans the nails, whitens them, makes them supple and easily 
polished, and retards the growth of the cuticle. Constant wash¬ 
ing of the hands dries the skin, and lemon is so cleansing that it 
can be used as a substitute if the hands are frequently soiled. 

If you are within reach of a professional manicurist, visit 
her occasionally, not as a substitute for giving your nails proper 
attention yourself, but to keep them in perfect condition, such as 
is almost impossible with home treatment. Be sure that she knows 
what she is about, for careless manicuring has ruined many nails. 
Do not allow your nails to be shaped in any of the freak ways 
occasionally affected. The lower part should be rounded in the 
popular almond shape, the edge filed to follow the general shape of 
the finger tip. A good manicurist should realize the value of indi¬ 
cations of ill health in the condition of the nails. Having found a 
satisfactory manicurist, put yourself in her hands. Relax com¬ 
pletely—it makes it far easier for her and is excellent for you. The 
most up-to-date establishments have discarded the manicurist’s 
table and substituted a chair in which you can stretch out com¬ 
fortably, resting your arms on the broad arms of the chair. The 
manicurist then treats your hands and arms in addition to mani¬ 
curing your nails, and the result is beneficial to the whole system. 
First of all the hand is dipped into soapy water as hot as you can 
stand it, and soaked for several minutes. This not only cleanses 
the skin, but softens the nails and puts them into condition for 
treatment. Then there follows a thorough massage of the fingers, 
the hand, the wrist, and the forearm in the method described in 


284 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


the previous chapter. A skin food may be used, but a heavy oil 
is even better for the skin. The oil is taken off with a skin fresh¬ 
ener of some kind, and the arms powdered lightly with a refresh¬ 
ing talcum powder. Then the nails are manicured. The cuticle 
has been softened by -the hot water, but cream is rubbed into the 
edges of the nail before the cuticle is pushed back. Then the edges 
of the nail are shaped with emery board. This is better than 
using a metal file, and the emery boards may be bought for very 
little at any drug store. A paste is put on next and the nail 
polished with a buffer. Every manicurist should have at least 
three buffers, one for the paste, one for the polish, and a final one 
for finishing off the nails. The paste protects the surface of the 
nail from possible scratching of the dry polish. Most manicurists 
use a liquid polish, made by dissolving the dry powder in alcohol. 
Or else they moisten the buffer with alcohol before applying the 
powder. The final polish is given with a dry buffer. Do not have 
too high a polish. It is not considered in very good taste at the 
present time. 

Home manicuring is very satisfactory, and in the main should 
follow the professional method. The chief difference is that a pro¬ 
fessional can work on the cuticle with a metal instrument, while an 
amateur should use only an orange stick covered thickly with ab¬ 
sorbent cotton or a silk handkerchief. If cuticle scissors are used 
their use should be confined to cutting the nails and the “hang¬ 
nails” and loose edges of skin. Be sure to get fine scissors—cheap 
ones wear out their edges in a very short time and are bad for the 
nails. After shaping the outer edge of the nails with the scissors, 
finish off with emery board or a flexible steel file. Begin with the 
soaking in hot, soapy water, using a nail brush to clean the hands 
and nails thoroughly. Then dry and manicure the nails as de* 
scribed above—shaping the nails, pushing back the cuticle, and 
polishing the nails, first with the paste and then with the powder. 
Dry powder used without the paste makes the nails brittle. If you 
have no buffer, the palm of the hand is an excellent substitute. 


THE CARE OF THE NAILS 


285 


This process should be repeated at least once a week, and if the 
nails are kept in good condition between times, this should be suffi¬ 
cient. A few minutes’ attention to thorough cleansing of the nails 
and to the cuticle each night should be as much a part of prep¬ 
aration for bed as cleansing the teeth. Rub vaseline or cold 
cream into the cuticle and press it back gently. If your nails 
are stained use a solution of acetic acid and rose water (one part 
acid, sixteen parts rose water) to remove the stain. Avoid prepa¬ 
rations containing oxalic acid, as it is poisonous. 

It is possible to make preparations for the nails at home, 
or to have them made up from prescriptions, but there are so 
many satisfactory preparations on the market that it is a waste 
of time and little if any saving of money. To make a solution 
for polishing the nails, dissolve the powdered polish in alcohol 
or eau de cologne. A liquid polish is better for the nails, especially 
if no paste foundation is used to protect the nails. The paste 
should be carmine, and this gives a fine pinkish tone to the nails. 
The liquid coloring is bad for the nails and makes much too deep a 
red. There are some liquid varnishes which give a glaze without 
the use of the buffer. These are also very bad for the nails. Pastes 
and nail powders or polishes of the standard makes are far better. 
It is well to have a styptic pencil on hand in case you cause bleed¬ 
ing with the scissors or knife. A great many people use a nail 
white under the outer edge of the nails. This is applied with an 
orange stick, in very small quantities. Too much is very unat¬ 
tractive. A simple nail bleach to use under the nails if the cleans¬ 
ing with soap and water is not sufficient is made as follows: 

Hydrogen Peroxide, 1 ounce, 

Ammonia, % ounce, 

Lemon Juice, Y\ ounce. 

This should be made in small quantities so as to have the lemon 
juice fresh. Keep it in a dark bottle, as peroxide loses its efficacy 
if exposed to the sunlight. It should be used under the free edges 
of the nails, and is applied by dipping an orange stick, with the 


286 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


end wrapped in absorbent cotton, into the bleach. Before polish¬ 
ing the nails the bleach should be removed by dipping the hands 
again into the hot water. 

If you are unaccustomed to manicuring your nails, go several 
times to a manicurist and watch carefully to see how she holds the 
file or emery board in filing the nails, and how she uses the buffer. 
Always file from the outer sides toward the centre, as this pre¬ 
vents possible scratching of the skin around the corner of the 
nail. Begining with the index finger, take all the fingers in order, 
and then the thumb. Do not file the nail so close as to injure the 
“quick.” Do not leave the nail so long that it will break off. Try to 
shape your nails alike throughout. Some professionals use scis¬ 
sors, then a file, and finally the emery board, as a final step in 
smoothing rough edges, and thinning down the edge of the nail. 
Another “trick of the trade” which may help the amateur is the 
method used in working back the cuticle. After pressing it back 
with the orange stick there is a good deal of loosened skin which 
can be removed with the cuticle knife or scissors. This does not 
thicken the edge as cutting all the cuticle would do. To test 
whether all the loose cuticle is removed, rub a finger tip downward 
from the free edge of the nail to the finger. This would rub any 
free skin the wrong way, and it may then be removed with scis¬ 
sors. A final hint in regard to polishing the nail: Always rub the 
buffer in a lateral direction or a diagonal direction, never from 
base to tip. The first polishing with the paste should be very brisk, 
the second with the powder, lighter, and the final polishing, very 
light and quick. At the end of a manicure, dip your hands into the 
water, so as to remove any traces of loose powder, or else wipe 
off each nail with a bit of absorbent cotton. 

Keep your manicuring instruments in good condition. The 
scissors should be kept sharp; the file should be discarded before 
it is worn down; orange sticks should be discarded or filed to a 
point and smoothed when they become blunt and rough; emery 
boards should not be used after the rough surface is worn down; 


THE CARE OF THE NAILS 


287 


fresh absorbent cotton should always be kept on hand; and the 
buffers should have new chamois when the old becomes soiled or 
worn. It is cheaper in the long run to buy a buffer with an 
adjustable frame, so that the chamois can be renewed, rather 
than one that has to be thrown away when the chamois is worn 
out. Chamois can be bought at a drug store or department store 
and renewed frequently. 

Some nails respond much more quickly to treatment than 
others. Fragile, brittle nails must be carefully treated to avoid 
breaking them. Such a condition is due to lack of lime in the sys¬ 
tem, and a doctor should be consulted so that the lack can be sup¬ 
plied internally. An external treatment that is helpful both for 
fragile nails and for those that are ridged or fluted is this sug¬ 
gested by a physician: 

Table Salt, 30 grains, 

Powdered Resin, 30 grains, 

Powdered Alum, 30 grainy 
White Wax, 80 grains, 

Almond Oil, y 2 ounce. 

Melt the wax and resin, stirring gently; add the oil, salt, and 
alum; pour into a porcelain jar and let the mixture cool. Apply 
three times a week to nail, using a piece of cotton. 

Bruised nails are painful and unsightly, and after the black¬ 
ness has formed from the clotted blood it is difficult to do any¬ 
thing except let Nature take her course. But, at the time the 
accident happens, if you dip the finger tip into water as hot as 
you can stand, and change the water so as to keep an even 
temperature, continuing this treatment for half an hour, the nail 
will not blacken. After removing the finger from the water, wrap 
it in hot antiphlogistan for overnight. This simple remedy seems 
to have almost magic effect on a bad bruise or a crushed finger. 

White spots come on the nails from different causes, but 
slight bruises are the most frequent cause. In making beds, for 
example, a woman often bruises her nails, and as a result these 


288 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


white spots appear. Care is the best preventive. The spots grow 
out very slowly but they may be lessened by application of a 
mixture of equal parts ( y 2 ounce) of refined pitch and myrrh. 
Use heat to melt the ingredients, then pour into a jar. Apply to 
nails at night and remove in the morning; if you have difficulty 
in getting it off without scraping the nail, use a little olive oil on 
absorbent cotton. 

There is one childhood habit which, if not overcome early in 
life, will injure the nails permanently. This is biting the nails. 
It is due to nervousness, and must be overcome by removing the 
cause, and by persistence on the part of the parents. There are 
a great many plans for stopping this habit, and some are success¬ 
ful with one child and some with another. A very usual plan 
is to paint the finger tips with tincture of aloes, so that the bitter 
taste will be a constantly recurring reminder. Castor oil serves 
the same purpose, but, though perhaps a more unpleasant re¬ 
minder and therefore more effective, is unpleasant for others 
besides the child. Wrapping the fingers at night or wearing 
gloves is almost essential, for a child frequently does the most 
destructive biting when unconscious or semi-conscious. This is 
a case in which moral suasion is absolutely useless, for the biting 
is seldom deliberate. Some children instead of biting the nails 
bite the skin around the edges of the nails and the result is 
hangnails and frequently infected* fingers. If the nails are kept 
short and the cuticle pushed back regularly, the tendency will 
be side-tracked, to a certain extent. This is especially true of 
adults. If nail-biting has persisted through childhood into adult 
life, it is almost impossible to cure, except by determination on 
the part of the person herself. Keep the nails well manicured 
and there will be no rough edges to start the trouble. And keep 
your hands away from your face. You cannot bite your nails 
unless your hands are near your face. 


PART VI 

THE FOOT 








© Joel Feder 

MYSTERIOUS CHARM LURKS IN A SERIOUS FAR-AWAY 
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CHAPTER I 


THE CARE OF THE FEET 

P ROBABLY no one thing can interfere more with every phase 
of life than feet in bad condition. They seem comparatively 
unimportant until there is something the matter with them, 
and then we realize how they can make or mar life. Can you 
enjoy anything if your feet hurt? You cannot even sit still or lie 
down with any comfort, bedclothes press on them, shoes and 
stockings are unendurable. Aching feet spoil your disposition, 
no matter how good it is. And any kind of ache brings little lines 
around your eyes and mouth that may not disappear when the 
ache goes. What is the first thing to do to keep your feet from 
being a source of trouble? Wear the proper shoes. This cannot 
be said too often, especially in this country where women pride 
themselves on their slender pointed feet and wear narrow, pointed 
shoes, with high heels. Until very recently, the French shoes 
were scorned by Americans, who in other particulars copied the 
French fashions to the limit of absurdity. The French shoes had 
short vamps and round toes—the American shoes, long vamps 
and pointed toes. But suddenly, Fashion swerved towards the 
French shoes, and modified them so that they were better adapted 
to the American taste, but kept the rounded toe. That was a step 
in the right direction. The vogue of sports clothes has done still 
more toward bringing about a sane fashion in shoes. With sports 
clothes, whether one indulges in sports or not, one must wear 
low-heeled shoes, built on the lines of the foot. Then, the wearing 
of rubber heels has helped along a different line, by relieving the 
strain put on the spine by successive shocks from contact between 
a hard heel and the pavement. So it would seem that the public 

293 


294 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


is beginning to wear better shoes, and, if the habit becomes thor¬ 
oughly established, they will not be willing to go back to cramping 
their feet within the narrow confines of the fashionable shoe of a 
few years ago. 

A shoe should be built along the natural lines of the foot, and 
these, after all, are far more beautiful than the distorted lines of 
the cramped foot. The toes should be wide enough to allow the 
toes to lie out flat, and not curled up over one another. Perhaps, 
you have always worn shoes that cramped your toes, until you 
thought your toes were meant to look that way. Try broader 
shoes and see how quickly your toes straighten out. The heel 
should be low enough so that the weight of the body falls on the 
instep, that work of art in the realm of bridge-building that is 
designed to carry the weight of the body with least effort and best 
results. High-heeled shoes throw the weight forward, and the 
results are frequently broken arches. The heels should not be so 
low that the weight is thrown backward. This is less frequently 
met with, but occasionally is encountered. Your arch may demand 
something more than the so-called “spring heel.” It never requires 
a French heel. Perhaps you think you cannot dance in low heels. 
Try it and see. You will dance much better. The best dancers 
in the world dance without any shoes or with ballet slippers, 
soft-soled slippers without heels. Men never wear high heels, 
and yet who will say that they cannot dance? It is very bad for 
your feet to shift from low to high heels. But don’t interpret 
that to justify yourself in wearing high heels all the time! It is 
better to shift occasionally to high heels, if your vanity will not 
permit low-heeled dance slippers, than to wear high heels all the 
time to avoid shifting. Don’t allow your heels to get run over: it 
throws your whole body out of gear, so to speak. Don’t wear old 
shoes around the house. It is bad economy. 

Primitive people have much better looking feet than civilized 
nations can boast. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks and Ro¬ 
mans wore various kinds of sandals, which protected their feet 


THE CARE OF THE FEET 


295 


without in any way cramping them. A well-formed foot is as 
lovely as a well-formed hand. Think of a baby’s foot, and realize 
that wrong shoes are responsible for all the ailments that may 
attack that foot in later years. Every chiropodist should study 
the anatomy of the foot with regard to the shoes, and should be 
able to tell his client what type of shoe he should wear. Every 
salesman in the shoe department of a store should insist on these 
four things—sufficient width of sole, sufficient room for toes, suffi¬ 
cient lowness of heel, and sufficient elasticity over instep. A shoe 
that is too large is almost as bad as one that is too small, but 
remember that in summer most people need a slightly larger 
shoe than in winter. A false inner sole can be used to regulate 
the seasonal needs, if necessary. 

Stockings are responsible for more troubles than we give 
them credit for. If they are too small they cramp the foot, if too 
large they are rough inside the shoe and cause corns and calluses. 
Cheap stockings are colored with cheap dyes, and stocking dye may 
cause infection if there is a cut or sore spot on the foot. Never 
wear stockings until they have been washed, and use a little salt 
in the water to set the dye. Wool stockings irritate some skins; 
if you are troubled in this way, try silk and wool, silk and lisle, 
or lisle and wool. Do not wear stockings that have been much 
darned. 

Change of shoes and stockings is an important factor in the 
proper care of the feet. Have at least two pairs of shoes for 
day-time wear, and alternate them. The shoes will last more than 
twice as long as they would otherwise, and it will be better for 
your feet. Never wear stockings more than one day. If your feet 
are tired, change your stockings and shoes during the day and 
you will find that it rests your feet. 

The trimming of the nails of the feet is a different thing 
from trimming the nails of the hands. Toe nails should always be 
cut straight across. If the corners are cut, you may find that you 
have ingrowing nails. The support is taken from the forward 


296 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


part of the nail, the nail is shoved forward, and the flesh pressed 
up against it by the shoe; the only place for the nail to grow is 
forward into the flesh. This subject is treated more fully in the 
next chapter, but if everyone cut the nails straight across, there 
would probably be no ingrowing nails. Smooth the edges of the 
nails with a file or emery board—it saves your stockings much 
unnecessary darning. Smooth the roughness on the edges of the 
soles of the feet with pumice stone. 

Bathing the feet is very important, both for the condition 
of the feet and the general daintiness of your person. The soles 
of the feet and the palms of the hands have perspiratory glands 
in greater numbers than any other parts of the body, and conse¬ 
quently should be washed very often. If your feet perspire ex¬ 
cessively bathe them in warm water with a little burnt alum in 
the water, and dust them with boracic acid powder. Other treat¬ 
ments of perspiration will be found in the chapter on the subject. 
A good lotion for tired feet is made of equal parts of witch hazel 
and alcohol, but nothing is more restful and soothing than hot 
water. People who are ill are often relieved by hot foot baths 
when they cannot be bathed all over. Loosen the bedclothes at 
the foot of the bed, and spread a rubber cloth over the bedclothes 
to keep them dry. Draw up the patient’s knees and place the 
feet in a tub of hot water. Keep the water hot by adding fresh 
hot water, as it is very important to keep an even temperature. 
When taken out, the feet must be wiped thoroughly dry, and 
wrapped in a blanket to keep them warm. 

It is a strange thing to say, but most people do not know how 
to rest tired feet. First of all take off your shoes and stockings, 
put on thinner stockings and slippers, then lie, face down, and 
place a pillow under the insteps of the feet. Having your feet 
higher than your head rests them, so there is a good physiological 
reason for the “tired business man” who puts his feet up on his 
desk—not that I advise this as a regular practice! Certain simple 
massage movements rest the feet very quickly. Rub gently, with a 


THE CARE OF THE FEET 


297 


firm upward stroke, using a little alcohol or vinegar. (This pre¬ 
vents perspiration as the result of the rubbing). Rotating the 
toes is an easy and effective form of exercise for resting the feet. 

Speaking of exercise, I want to say again that dancing is one 
of the best forms of exercise, and, in the proper shoes, should 
strengthen and beautify the feet. The reason most people come 
home from dances with swollen, inflamed feet, is that their shoes 
are wrong, tight, too pointed, and with too high heels. So after 
all, everything connected with care of the feet comes back to this 
same question of the proper shoes. Corns, bunions, fallen arches, 
flat foot—would all be avoided if we always wore the right shoes. 
And the right shoes need not be ugly shoes. If you wear the 
wrong shoes until you have fallen arches, you will have to wear 
ugly shoes for many months to correct the trouble. Take it in 
time, and prevent all unpleasant contingencies. 











CHAPTER II 


TREATMENT OF COMMON TROUBLES WITH THE FEET 


B EFORE entering into discussion of home treatment of the 
various minor foot troubles which are all too common, let 
me give some advice on the subject of chiropodists. There 
are a great many people who feel that corns, bunions, chilblains, 
etc., are annoyances too slight to necessitate a visit to a chiropo¬ 
dist, and attempt home treatment which very frequently makes 
serious trouble. People should take all the pains they can to keep 
their feet in good condition, but if they have trouble with them, 
they should go to a chiropodist, just as they should go to an 
oculist if they are having trouble with their eyes. One visit at 
the beginning of a trouble will generally prevent further develop¬ 
ment, while a postponed visit and home treatment in the meantime 
may eventually involve a long treatment by the chiropodist, a 
great deal of unnecessary pain, and many times the expense of 
the single preventive visit. If people are subject to corns and 
calluses, it is a good plan to go regularly once or twice a year, 
before the foot begins to hurt. Be sure your chiropodist knows 
his business, just as you must be sure your oculist or your dentist 
knows his. And if he gives you directions for home treatment, 
follow his advice and don’t disregard it, because you feel that he 
is not “a regular doctor.” He is, along that line. 

However, many persons are unable to get to a chiropodist, 
and in such cases it is essential that the feet be treated in as 
nearly a scientific manner as possible. There are several instru¬ 
ments that it is well to have. First of all a nail clipper, shaped 
so as to cut the nails off evenly and the right shape; then nail 
scissors with short, stout blades—not the light, fine blades of the 

299 


14 


306 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


cuticle scissors. These are used to trim the nails and cut off 
loosened pieces of skin from corns or calluses. Finally, a piece 
of pumice stone. Corn knives should not be owned by the un¬ 
initiated, for there are many good corn plasters on the market, 
and a corn knife in the hands of an amateur may cause far more 
trouble than the corn. 

Before treating your feet, always soak them in hot water, 
with perhaps a little borax in the water. Then dry the feet very 
thoroughly, rubbing off the loose skin, especially between the toes. 
If you are going to treat calluses soak your feet in a strong 
solution of magnesium sulphate (an ounce to a quart of water) 
for about twenty-five minutes. Then remove the loose callused 
skin with a pumice stone. Apply afterwards the following solu¬ 
tion,* using a fine paint brush. 

Alcohol, %y 2 drams, 

Extract of cannabis indica, 10 grains, 

Salicylic Acid, 30 grains, 

Collodion, \y 2 drams. 

Warning: Any solution strong enough to act on calluses is too 
strong for the skin around the calluses. Therefore, apply with 
great care to the callus only. This warning applies to any solution 
containing a strong acid. Calluses form on the sole of the foot, 
especially along the edge and on the heel, and hard corns develop 
from small calluses on the toes. 

A callus on the toe, especially the little toe, thickens from 
constant irritation or pressure; then the central part of the callus 
begins to grow down into the sensitive skin, and, if allowed to 
continue, causes intense pain. A hard corn forms on the outside 
of the toe, while a soft corn forms between the toes, and, though 
in structure it is the same as a hard corn, is kept soft by the 
moisture. There are many good corn plasters obtainable at any 


*This formula and several others in this chapter are reprinted from “My Lady’s Hand¬ 
book,’’ by W. S. Birge, M.D., by courtesy of the publishers, Messrs. George Sully & Co., 
New York. 



TREATMENT OF TROUBLES WITH THE FEET 301 


drug store. They contain some substance that acts on the corn, 
and the outside skin is protected and the corn at the same time 
separated from contact with the stocking and shoe by a felt disc 
or something similar. Another method of home treatment is to 
pare off the outer callus with a blade that has been sterilized, and 
then painting the centre of the corn with the following: 

Salicylic Acid, 1 dram, 

Extract of Cannabis Indica, 10 grains, 

Ether, 2 drams, 

Flexible Collodion, 6 drams. 

An excellent antiseptic ointment for the feet is made of: 

Carbolic Acid, 1 dram, 

Tannic Acid, 2 drams, 

Tincture of Iodine, 2 drams, 

Vaseline, 4 ounces. 

There is a third kind of corn, less common and much harder 
to treat. This is the vascular corn. It should be removed by a 
chiropodist, as very little of it shows above the surface of the skin. 
It is somewhat like a wart and is composed of a number of small 
blood vessels. 

Chilblains are one of the commonest troubles with the feet, 
especially among people who are exposed much to the cold and 
among children. Unless chilblains become so bad as to blister, 
they can usually be cured at home. At the first touch of frost it 
is well to attend to the feet before the frost turns into chilblains. 
The old remedy of rubbing the feet in snow has a sound reason 
back of it, and is effective in taking out the frost. The signs of 
chilblains are easily recognized—redness, intense itching, and 
burning. If the circulation is good, chilblains do not start, so it 
is advisable to massage and exercise the feet so as to improve the 
circulation. Soak the feet in hot water for from thirty to forty 
seconds, then in cold for fifteen seconds, then hot again, and so on 
for half an hour, ending with cold water. Rubbing the feet with! 


302 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


warm spirits of rosemary and a little turpentine may be found 
helpful. 

Bunions should be treated by a chiropodist, as if they get 
very bad they are almost impossible to cure completely. They 
come from pressure on the big toe causing inflammation of the 
skin over the second joint. This leads to a callus, which irritates 
the “bursa,” a little sac that protects the lining membrane of the 
joint. Eventually, the joint becomes enlarged, and the whole toe 
is thrown inward and forward, disfiguring the foot, and making 
it very difficult to wear any shoes comfortably. A boric solution 
helps relieve the inflammation in the early stages, and if the cause 
(a tight shoe) is removed, the callus disappears in a few days. 

Ingrowing nails are very painful and very hard to cure at 
home after inflammation has set in. But there is no excuse for 
having ingrowing nails. They are, as we mentioned in the last 
chapter, the result of wrong cutting of the nail. Cutting away 
the corners of the nail takes away the natural support from the 
forward part of the nail, and the nail sinks down, the flesh rises 
over it, and the nail grows forward into the flesh. At the first 
signs of this, take an orange stick and remove the dead cuticle from 
under the edges of the nail. Then pack absorbent cotton under 
the corner of the nail. This forms an artificial support, which 
must be renewed and continued until the nail has become normal 
again. If what is called “proud flesh” has developed, the appli¬ 
cation of Monsel’s salt of iron on the cotton (dry if there is a 
discharge, in saturated solution if there is no discharge) once 
or twice a day will help hasten the cure. If the condition is far 
developed, do not try to cure it yourself. 

Cases of flat foot or fallen arches are too serious to be mis¬ 
handled. Each individual case varies, so that no stereotyped 
laws can be laid down, nor any definite exercises prescribed. The 
condition is due to wearing high heels, to wrongly balanced shoes, 
or to continuous standing, especially if the person is very large. 
The symptoms are not very marked, consisting chiefly of pains in 
the feet, the calves of the leg, and little by little the dropping of 


TREATMENT OF TROUBLES WITH THE FEET 303 


the arches of the feet. If the arches fall all the way they cannot 
be completely cured, so it is of vital importance to take it in time. 
A cast should be made of the foot, and exercises, massage, and 
special treatment prescribed by the doctor should be followed 
rigorously. It is very important to wear orthopedic shoes with 
flexible soles, as the exercise given in walking, when wearing 
such shoes, is the best exercise possible for this trouble. Ho not 
let your vanity keep you from wearing these shoes, for if worn 
at the beginning of the trouble they will materially help the cure, 
and if wrong shoes are worn, the arches may fall entirely, and you 
will not only have pain in your feet for the rest of your life, but you 
will have to wear unattractive shoes for years instead of months. 
Ho not use the steel arches, unless the doctor selects them, adjusts 
them to your feet, and keeps them adjusted at frequent intervals. 
Arches of hard rubber are better than the steel, having more 
elasticity, but no artificial arches should be worn without the 
advice of the doctor. 

The more you study the subject of feet, the more you will 
realize how the shoe is the fundamental cause and cure of most 
foot troubles. Get the right shoe, and don’t return to the wrong 
shoe because you think you are cured, no matter what has been the 
matter. For if that particular trouble does not return, some 
other, perhaps more serious this time, will develop. Learn this 
lesson, and learn not to attempt home treatments when a chiropo¬ 
dist should be visited, and you will find that your feet will give 
you very little trouble for the rest of your life. And healthy, 
strong feet are better looking feet, especially if they have not been 
mutilated from mistreatment early in life. If you have had trouble 
with your feet, you will not need to be warned to start with your 
baby to keep her, or his, feet strong, to get the right shoes from 
the beginning, and to teach the growing child the importance of 
treating the feet properly. Keep a very young child off its feet. 
Too early walking is a frequent cause of fallen arches later in 
life, for the bones are soft and give under the weight of a baby. 











PART VII 

CLEANLINESS 




© Joel Feder 

SIMPLICITY IS THE KEYNOTE OF GOOD TASTE 

























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CHAPTER I 


THE BATH 

T HE importance of bathing has been emphasized in various 
connections throughout the preceding chapters, but it de¬ 
serves individual treatment, both as a factor in maintain¬ 
ing health and as an essential to daintiness and beauty. In 
studying the skin we discovered that the superficial scales of the 
epidermis tend to collect and with other matter to form a sub¬ 
stance which interferes with the proper functions of the perspira¬ 
tory glands. The one unquestioned factor in preventing this is 
water, and through the close connection of the condition of the 
skin and the general health, water is an essential element of 
health. We have discussed the cleansing of the face, the hands, 
and the hair, so this section deals with the larger subject of cleans¬ 
ing the body. 

Baths may be local or general, cold, warm, and tepid. Then 
there are sea baths, Turkish baths, Russian baths. Each kind 
of bath has its place in the scheme of things; some kind of bath 
should be taken every day. For general cleanliness and good 
health, one should take a cold bath in the morning (some people 
cannot stand it, of that more in a moment), and a warm or hot 
bath at least every other evening before retiring. For the sake of 
digestion, baths should not be taken immediately after eating, 
for baths divert the blood from the stomach to the surface of the 
body. 

The cold bath is intended to act as a stimulant. Contrary to 
general belief, most people can take a cold bath, if they are strong 
minded enough and go about it in the proper way. They should 
accustom themselves gradually to the temperature, by starting 

309 


310 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


with a tepid bath, and beginning in the warm weather. A sponge 
bath is a good way to start cold bathing. Afterwards a shower 
or tub is more effective and, once you are accustomed to it, more 
delightful. One of the greatest benefits of cold bathing is almost 
complete immunity from catching cold. The cold water at first 
drives the blood to the organs, affects the respiration, first increas¬ 
ing and then decreasing its speed, and stimulates the nervous 
system. The reaction following the bath sends a sensation of 
warmth and vigor over the body. To aid in the reaction, the 
bather should rub himself from head to foot with a rough towel, 
and then put on the clothing without delay. A shower is a very 
good way of taking a cold bath, but the tub is the most effective of 
all. Keep moving while you are in the tub. Soap yourself 
thoroughly, and then turn over completely so that your skin will 
be thoroughly rinsed. Follow by a brisk rubbing down. 

The warm bath has the opposite effect and the after effect 
is relaxing, so it should be taken at night. It causes excessive per¬ 
spiration, and if this is disagreeable, it can be lessened by spong¬ 
ing off the body afterwards with cold water. It relieves fatigue 
and muscular soreness, and induces sleep. It should not be taken 
above 98° F., except on the advice of a physician. The tepid bath 
has no particular physiological effect and may be taken at any 
time during the day for cleansing purposes. 

Water is almost always available even when a tub is not, 
so it is well to know how to take a satisfactory sponge bath. 
Spread a bath mat over the floor so as to stand on it and protect 
the floor. Wash all over with warm, soapy water, then rinse thor¬ 
oughly in clear water. For the full effect and advantage use a flesh 
brush, and rub yourself vigorously. If the bath is taken in the 
morning, the temperature of successive waters may be lowered, 
ending with a final rinsing in cold water. 

The question of soap is not such a serious one as many people 
seem to think. There are many good, pure soaps on the market, 
and the price of a soap is a fair test. A good soap cannot be 


THE BATH 


311 


made very cheaply; a very expensive soap usually is highly 
scented and elaborately wrapped. Find the soap that best suits 
your skin, is pure and nonirritating, and not much scented. If 
you enjoy a pleasant scent in the water, bath salts are very 
delightful, both in their scent and in the softening effect on the 
water. The value of the salt is negligible. Very little salt can 
be absorbed through the skin, and the advantage claimed for 
salt water bathing is due, in large measure, not to the salt, but 
to the invigorating exercise in the open air. 

Great care should be taken to keep the wash cloths, sponges, 
and flesh brushes in good condition. A sponge is very pleasant 
for the final rinsing in a sponge bath, but on the whole a wash 
cloth is more cleansing and easier to keep in good condition. If 
a sponge is used, it should be thoroughly aired and sunned every 
day. Soap spoils a sponge, making it sticky and soggy, so soap 
should be applied with the hand or the wash cloth. Towels do 
not need to be changed as frequently as most people think, if they 
are properly used. The reason towels get soiled is that people do 
not wash off the dirt with soap and water, but wipe it off with the 
towel. If all the dirt has been removed, the towel will not get 
soiled. Ho not use too harsh a towel on the face, but use rough 
Turkish towels on the body as an aid to stimulating the circu¬ 
lation. Each member of the family should, of course, have his 
own towels and wash cloths. 

The value of the Turkish bath is a thing quite outside the 
general value of bathing. It is, for most, inaccessible and ex¬ 
pensive, but, if available, is excellent for stiff, sore joints and 
muscles, and for breaking up a cold. It is used by many for 
reducing purposes, but is not a permanent cure, as it does not 
reach the root of the matter. The bather, after removing his 
clothing, enters a warm room, where he remains until a slight 
perspiration commences. Then he enters a hot room, with tem¬ 
perature of about 130° F., and possibly a still hotter room after 
that. The heat may cause a momentary feeling of nausea, but 


312 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


the perspiration relieves this almost immediately. Water is 
drunk at intervals to increase the perspiration. Then follows 
the thorough cleansing, with soap, scrubbing, and massage, in a 
moderately cool room. The soap is rinsed off with a douche, which 
starts warm and becomes gradually cold. A cold plunge gives 
the final stimulation, and if this is not included, the bather re¬ 
clines in a cool room, wrapped in a blanket. 

A Russian bath is employed for cases of chronic rheumatism 
and certain forms of bronchitis. It differs from the Turkish in 
substituting hot vapor for hot air, and, for producing perspira¬ 
tion, is inferior to the Turkish bath. Establishments vary in some 
particulars, but in general they follow the plan outlined above. 
These baths should not be taken by people with weak hearts or a 
tendency towards fainting from excessive heat. There are many 
cheap public baths which you would do well to avoid, but some of 
the best hotels in cities have Turkish or Russian baths which are 
run on a sound, scientific basis. 

There are all sorts of virtues claimed for baths of freak na¬ 
ture. A few years ago a prominent actress startled the public by 
confessing that she took milk baths. Probably hundreds of her 
admirers followed suit, certainly without harm, but probably 
without good. The price of milk would make such baths beyond 
the reach of the majority. Then there are borax baths, sea-salt 
baths, ammonia baths. Some claim virtue in bran bags used in 
the bath. To make bran bags (they may be bought at almost any 
drug store, however) mix equal parts of powdered oatmeal and 
bran together, and to a pint add half a cup of powdered Castile 
soap. Then add one ounce of powdered orris root. Fill small 
cheesecloth bags and use the bags in the bath. Others claim that 
bath water is peculiarly delightful when a few drops of the follow¬ 
ing lotion are added to the warm water: 

Bath Lotion 

Equal parts white vinegar and benzoin. Steep mixture 8 days. Strain and 
bottle. Add a few drops to the water. 


CHAPTER II 

“EXCESSIVE PERSPIRATION” AND OTHER 
UNNECESSARY ODORS 

T HERE is probably no other one thing that causes more 
worry and discomfort than the problem of excessive per¬ 
spiration. A certain amount of perspiration is essential to 
good health, as the function of the perspiratory glands is to re¬ 
move water from the system and carry off waste matter. Conse¬ 
quently, it is very closely allied with cleanliness, for the outer 
skin must be kept thoroughly clean so that the pores, or openings 
of the perspiratory glands, do not get clogged and thus interfere 
with their proper functioning. 

There are two systems of glands in the skin, the perspiratory 
and the sebaceous or oil-producing glands. Sometimes one or the 
other of these systems functions too actively for general comfort, 
and the result is called excessive perspiration, by those who do not 
realize that it may be excessive oil, just as often as it is excessive 
perspiration. However, having made the distinction, we shall 
treat them in the same chapter. 

Deep in the true skin or in the fat beneath the skin are little 
tubes ending in coils, reaching the surface of the skin by means of 
spiral outlets or ducts. The outlets are called pores, and are vis¬ 
ible all over the body on close inspection, and quite noticeable in 
some people around the nose. It has been estimated that the en¬ 
tire number of glands if placed end to end, would stretch over a 
distance of about twenty-eight miles. The main function, as has 
already been stated, is the carrying off of water and waste mat¬ 
ter, and in this function the perspiratory glands rank next in im¬ 
portance to the kidneys. The second important function is the 
regulation of the temperature of the body. We are all very famil- 

313 


314 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


iar with certain phases of this function, or rather, of the disturb¬ 
ance of this function. In fever, for example, the hands are very 
dry and hot, due to the fact that the perspiratory glands are not 
acting in a normal way. The changes in the outer air are reflected 
in the action of the perspiratory glands. If the surrounding air 
is much warmer than the body, the vessels dilate, free perspiration 
takes place, and, though we may not be quite as presentable, we 
are undoubtedly more comfortable. Evaporation is almost simul¬ 
taneous, if the air is hot and dry, but if there is a great deal of 
humidity in the atmosphere, evaporation is slow and we suffer 
much more from the heat. That is the reason hot dry air is so 
much less uncomfortable than hot moist air. 

Perspiration is constantly taking place, but, unless the body 
is taking an unusual amount of exercise and thereby increasing 
the amount of perspiration, it takes the form of vapor and is called 
“insensible.” When, by exercise, the amount is increased or by 
moisture in the air it is slow to evaporate, a visible amount is pro¬ 
duced, which is called “sensible.” Certain parts of the body are 
subject to sensible perspiration in a greater degree than others. 
The palms of the hands have a greater number of pores per 
square inch than any other part of the body; the soles of the feet, 
and under the arms are other places where perspiration takes 
place very freely. Some people perspire excessively around the 
neck, on the forehead, the upper lip, and in other less usual places. 

When perspiration takes place so freely as to become annoy¬ 
ing, even when one is not indulging in violent exercise, it is due, 
usually, to lowered vitality, low nerve tone of the skin, nervous¬ 
ness, or general run-down condition. So the first step towards 
getting rid of this unpleasant characteristic is to build up the 
general health by careful diet, and a healthy, normal life with 
plenty of sun and air and exercise. If the condition continues, the 
cause may be some local disturbance which a doctor may be able 
to correct promptly. It should not be allowed to continue, for not 
only is it very annoying and unpleasant for the person thus af- 


EXCESSIVE PERSPIRATION 


315 


flicted, but it takes away from tbe general daintiness and gives out 
a very unpleasant odor, distinctly perceptible to other people— 
often more so than to the person herself. Frequent bathing will 
of course help enormously; clothing should be changed at least 
every day; and talcum powder should be used freely, not instead 
of soap and water, but after washing. Never use powder or per¬ 
fume to cover up other unpleasant odors. In the first place, it 
doesn’t succeed, in the second place it increases the wrong condi¬ 
tion by clogging the pores and brings about an unhealthy condi¬ 
tion of the skin. 

The use of “odorono” has become very general and is widely 
discussed by the medical profession and by the laity. There is no 
doubt whatever but that it would be very harmful if used in excess 
all over the body, or even in all of the parts where excessive per¬ 
spiration takes place, for it would then interfere with the throw¬ 
ing off of waste matter and cause poisoning. But the consensus 
of opinion seems to be that used locally—under the arms is the 
place where its application is most often necessary—it does no 
harm, unless (and this is very important) the individual skin is 
too delicate to stand it. That you must decide for yourself. If, 
after the application, the skin seems very irritated, and the next 
morning still looks inflamed, it is obvious that your skin cannot 
stand it, and you must not use it. Another cause may be that you 
have not followed the directions, which are very clear and well- 
defined. The most important of the warnings is that against using 
it after shaving or using a depilatory. The application of a 
soothing talcum allays temporary irritation and if the irritation 
is excessive, cold cream will be found soothing. 

A good powder to use after bathing with warm water and 
Castile soap is the following: 

Boracic Acid, 1 ounce, 

Precipitated Chalk, 2 ounces, 

Powdered Talcum, 7 ounces. 


316 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


Odorono should not be used on the hands or feet, but care and 
special treatment will accomplish a good deal. Details regarding 
the general care of the feet are given in another chapter, but if 
excessive perspiration continues in spite of care, the use of the 
powder described above will help matters. Frequent change of 
stockings and shoes will prevent the odor from becoming unpleas¬ 
antly noticeable. Stockings should be changed at least once a day 
and washed out before being worn again. A good plan in regard 
to shoes is suggested elsewhere, but will not suffer by repetition. 
Do not wear the same shoes on consecutive days. This gives them 
a chance to be well aired, and your shoes will last longer. Hot 
hands are extremely trying. Try this simple remedy: Dip your 
palms into very hot water, dry thoroughly, and rub with dry bo- 
racic acid powder or a saturated solution (i. e., as much of the solid 
as the liquid will dissolve) of boracic acid in alcohol. To keep 
your gloves from being stained by perspiration, shake into them 
some lycopodium powder, which may be obtained at any drug 
store. 

The oil-producing glands are found all over the skin, except 
in the palms and soles, and are especially abundant in the face. 
They are nearer the surface than the perspiratory glands, and are 
shaped like small sacks. They have their outlets in the little pits 
from which the hairs come, known as the hair follicles. Their 
function is to lubricate the skin and keep it soft and pliable, and 
to protect the body from moisture. When functioning naturally, 
we are not conscious of any process going on at all, but if they 
stop functioning, the skin becomes dry and scaly, the scalp gets 
into bad condition, and we realize to the full how important they 
are to the healthy condition of the skin. If, on the other hand, the 
oil glands are unnaturally active, the skin is most unattractive, 
gets dirty very quickly, looks shiny and greasy, and stains the 
clothes which come into contact with it. People with oily skins 
should never use any greasy cream. The so-called vanishing or 



© Joel Feder 

A SIMPLE, BECOMING COSTUME ENHANCES NATURAL CHARM 









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EXCESSIVE PEKSPIBATION 


317 


disappearing cream must be substituted. The following prepara¬ 
tion decreases oiliness: 

Oatmeal, 1 cup, 

Sulphur, 1 pinch, 

Powdered Benzoin, 1 pinch, 

Shaved Castile Soap, 1 teaspoonful. 

A pleasant lotion for an oily skin is the following. It should 
be used several times a day: 

Bose Water, 2 ounces, 

Distilled Witch Hazel, 2 ounces, 

Boracie Acid, 1 dram. 

The problem of oily skin is treated again in the chapter on 
skin and the chapter on hair. For those troubled with this con¬ 
dition, it is important that they differentiate it from excessive 
perspiration, as the treatment is different. Also, the methods of 
cleansing clothes stained by perspiration and clothes stained by 
oil are different, and the nature of the stain should be explained to 
the cleaner to insure success. 

Occasionally, women are troubled with discharges, such as 
leucorrhea, which may cause a slight odor. This matter should 
be remedied by a douche, under medical direction. Probably, the 
cause is easily discernible, and assuredly it should not be allowed 
to continue. During the period of menstruation, women should 
be very particular about cleanliness, taking warm baths, changing 
the dressing frequently, and using amolin or some other disinfect¬ 
ing and deodorizing powder. 


15 





PART VIII 

CLOTHES AS A FACTOR IN BEAUTY 



I 



CLOTHES AS A FACTOR IN BEAUTY 


C LOTHES seem to many more than a factor in beauty; in 
their true proportion, in fact, they assume the importance 
of one of several elements that go to make up the perfect 
whole. Those other elements we have discussed: health, figure, 
complexion, hair, and so on. Without these attributes of beauty, 
clothes cannot serve alone; with them, clothes give the finishing 
touch. Science plays its part here as elsewhere. Money can buy 
beauty in clothes, provided taste and suitability direct its expendi¬ 
ture. Certain fundamentals should govern the selection of clothes, 
the right clothes for the right person, the right time, and the right 
place. 

The close connection between clothes and health has long been 
acknowledged, but that an appreciation of this fact makes for 
greater beauty in clothes is only beginning to be really understood. 
Perhaps corsets and their relation to health formed the first link. 
Now everyone acknowledges that corsets fitted to each individual, 
following the natural lines of the figure, and interfering as little 
as possible with natural movement, are in reality more becoming 
as well as more healthful. Probably the American woman would 
be better off if she would not wear any corset and would allow her 
muscles to do their full quota, but the American woman is better 
off with the right corset than with undeveloped muscles and no 
corset. Notice that I say the right corset. Always this means a 
low corset, for the woman with the high, large bust should support 
it not with her corset but with a brassiere, carefully fitted for her 
particular needs. The low corset helps correct posture with the 
upward and backward support, and in correct posture lies the 

321 


322 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


solution of many of the so-called female troubles. The fundamental 
test of the rightness of a corset lies in its comfort. If a corset 
hurts it is wrong. There are corsets designed for every type of 
figure. Insist on a proper fit and the result will be the foundation 
of well-fitting clothes. 

Having bought the corset, you must learn to put it on cor¬ 
rectly. The laces should be adjusted every time you put the corset 
on. Loosen the laces, pull the corset down over the hips, fasten 
the garters, and then adjust the laces. For slight, girlish figures 
a low rubber girdle, lightly boned, is sufficient support. A com¬ 
bination brassiere and girdle for riding, gymnasium work, or vio¬ 
lent exercise should be worn when you go without a corset. It 
holds the figure and supports it enough and not too much for 
health and comfort. 

Just as the trend in corseting is toward sane correlation be¬ 
tween the corset and the figure, so the general tendency in cos¬ 
tume designing is in the direction of simplicity. The lines follow 
the natural and graceful lines of the body, the majority of dresses 
hang from the shoulders with no vestige of the ungainly tight 
waistline of a few years ago. Open necks have proved their be¬ 
comingness and are too comfortable to be replaced by the high, 
close-fitting collars of the past. Women now refuse to be slaves 
to fashion, they consult their individual preferences, and the re¬ 
sult is greater variety and increased charm. 

Suitability is the governing force in the art of dressing. In¬ 
dividuals select colors that are becoming, and certain fundamental 
principles can be laid down. Blue-eyed people can usually wear 
all shades of blue; tawny-eyed, shades of tan and leafy brown; 
brown-eyed, some shade of brown, depending on the skin. Decided 
blondes should choose gray with a tinge of blue; brunettes, gray 
with a tinge of pink. The figure must determine the lines of a 
frock or suit. A short woman should select costumes with long, 
unbroken lines, avoid flounces and ruffles, and steer away from 
checks and plaids. Black and sombre colors tend to make a small 


CLOTHES AS A FACTOR IN BEAUTY 


323 


person look insignificant, while large people should wear them in 
preference to vivid colors or pale shades. A low waistline, straight 
collar, and little trimming characterize successful designs for 
stout women. Bulky materials should be worn with great care— 
they are becoming to neither small women nor stout women. No 
laws can be laid down for hats, as coloring, hair, etc., alter indi¬ 
vidual cases. But on the whole, it is safe to say that very large 
hats should not be worn by very small women, and very small hats 
should be avoided in very tall women. Small hats suit faces with 
rather small features and are unbecoming to wide faces with high 
cheek bones. This type looks best in a straight brimmed hat, of 
the semi-tailored type. 

In addition to the effect of physical characteristics on clothes, 
there is the question of suitability to occupation. The business 
woman should wear neutral and dark colors and suits or dresses 
of studied simplicity, though the day of the stiff tailored costume 
for every business woman has gone by with the entrance into busi¬ 
ness of every type of woman. Never wear out your finery at the 
office. It will affect your standing with your superiors, it will 
react unfavorably on your mental attitude. 

It has often been said that the details make or mar a costume. 
This is true, with reservations. Some costumes cannot be made, 
no matter how perfect the details of the accessories. But, as¬ 
suredly, everyone should study these so-called minor factors from 
every angle. Shoes, gloves, furs, jewelry, even glasses repay their 
wearer’s careful consideration. Shoes and gloves deserve atten¬ 
tion from the point of view of health as well as beauty. Fortu¬ 
nately, women are realizing that their entrance into the world of 
business activity demands attention to this point of view. Low- 
heeled shoes, shaped to fit the foot, are not only more comfortable 
but are smarter, and should be worn for all day-time occasions. 
Do not wear out your old high-heeled shoes around the house. Do 
not let your heels get run down. Do not get shoes too tight or too 
loose. Gloves can do less harm, but do not deceive yourself into 


324 GUIDE TO HEALTH AND PERSONAL BEAUTY 


thinking that your hands look smaller in small gloves. They don’t 
—they look larger. Tight gloves draw attention to the hands by 
making them look pudgy and unnatural. They cause the hands 
to swell, and injure the nails. If you do not know what size glove 
you should ivear, leave the decision to the saleswoman, do not in¬ 
sist on a small size because it sounds better. 

Jewelry, too, should be studied with care, not for its own 
beauty of design, workmanship, and coloring alone, but for its 
becomingness. Certain types of hands are at best advantage with 
certain kinds of rings. A narrow long hand can wear almost any 
ring, but a small hand can stand very few and those of a definite 
type. If the fingers are short, a little-finger ring should be long 
rather than wide. A wide ring would emphasize the shortness of 
the fingers by adding an effect of width. Do not wear jewelry of 
an elaborate kind for sports or business. The vogue for chains 
is a dangerous one when carried to extremes. A stout woman or 
a very short woman cannot wear strands of beads without detract¬ 
ing from the straight long lines she has aimed to achieve. Pearls 
and jewelled collars draw attention to the neck, so scrawny necks 
or fat necks are less conspicuous without them. In the same way, 
bracelets are the prerogative of the woman with beautiful arms. 

Many women in the past have preferred to sacrifice comfort, 
and to a certain degree, health, to beauty, by refusing to wear eye¬ 
glasses. Scientists have taken this into consideration more in 
recent years, and have tried to adapt the glasses to the face as 
well as to the eyes. Certain primary rules govern the choice of 
becoming glasses, and if these rules are followed, the result, in¬ 
stead of being unbecoming, frequently adds distinction, detracts 
from deficiencies of a certain kind, and enhances natural charms. 
Nobody thinks a strained expression becoming; a scowl causes 
lines to form; squinting is assuredly not attractive; all these 
things are due to eye strain. If eyes are too far apart, glasses are 
becoming, for they minimize this defect. A face that is broad is 
improved by dark-rimmed glasses which tend to narrow the face, 


CLOTHES AS A FACTOR IN BEAUTY 


325 


while a narrow, long face looks wider in light-rimmed or rimless 
glasses. A low nose piece and temples over the ears broadens a 
narrow face, but should be avoided by older women as they em¬ 
phasize the “crow’s feet.” A long thin face with light lashes and 
brows can wear light-rimmed glasses with a horizontal nose piece, 
and the result will be to shorten and broaden the face becomingly. 
Noses are another important consideration in the selection of 
glasses. Low dark bridges shorten long noses, while short noses 
look longer with glasses having top springs or high bridges. A 
Roman nose looks best with low-bridge glasses, while spectacles 
make the curve more pronounced, and should be avoided. Color¬ 
ing, too, should be considered. With dark hair, dark-rimmed 
glasses are more becoming; with fair hair, light-rimmed. A nar¬ 
row black eye-glass ribbon can be worn with good effect by a 
woman with a wide face, but it tends to lengthen and narrow the 
face; for this reason it should be avoided by a woman with a long 
face. Perhaps these ideas are new to you, but if you doubt their 
fundamental truth watch your eye-glassed friends and prove the 
facts for yourself. 

The question of dressing to best advantage is one of such com¬ 
plexity that in a book of this kind one can deal only in generalities. 
Some of the fundamentals we have considered in the preceding 
pages; others must be determined by the individual herself. But 
remember this: the American woman has freed herself from the 
tyranny of Dame Fashion to a certain extent. She studies her 
individual type and is true to that within bounds. If she cannot 
wear the prevailing mode she is fast learning to have courage 
enough to stick to what is becoming, realizing that the unbe¬ 
coming costume cannot look smart on her. When this lesson is 
learned, American women will take the lead among the best- 
dressed women of the world. 





APPENDIX 


APPENDIX I 


Some Fundamental Facts of First Aid and Home Nursing 

T HERE are a great many fundamental principles of care of 
the sick which, should be as familiar to every woman as the 
fundamental principles of health. The American Red Cross, 
during the war, gave everyone an opportunity to learn first aid 
and home nursing through simple courses of instruction and prac¬ 
tical books on the subject. Doubtless, many of you took advan¬ 
tage of this opportunity, and to you this chapter may seem super¬ 
fluous in a book on health and beauty; but there are still many 
who are woefully ignorant of the simplest of home remedies and 
the most important of the facts about home care of the sick. To 
them this chapter is addressed. 

In the first place, prevention is far better than cure, and if 
you have followed the rules governing health, you will not need 
much information about sickness. Unfortunately, prevention is 
not always possible, and people continue to get sick, and accidents 
to occur, and a person who knows how to act in emergencies is in¬ 
valuable. Every household should have on hand a few supplies 
for use in an emergency. The simplest way to get them is to pur¬ 
chase a first aid kit, which contains bandages of different widths, 
adhesive plaster, a tourniquet, compresses, safety pins, scissors, 
collodion, a tube of carbolated petrolatum, iodine, and, in the large 
sizes, several kinds of useful medicines. Then there should be a 
medicine chest in every household, containing such every-day rem¬ 
edies as alcohol, aromatic spirits of ammonia, castor oil, Epsom 
salts, witch hazel, one-tenth grain calomel tablets, soda mints, and 
carbolated vaseline. A medicine glass and spoon, a clinical ther¬ 
mometer, and a camel’s hair brush should be handy. After a pre- 

326 


APPENDIX I 


329 


scription has been filled and served its purpose, it is wise to throw 
away what is left, as old medicine is frequently not effective and 
sometimes harmful. But if it is a prescription which comes into 
use frequently, mark the bottle or box containing the medicine 
with care, specifying the occasion on which it was used, the size 
dose and method of taking, and the name of the person for whom 
the prescription was filled. The reason for this is that it is only 
too easy to forget which prescription was used for which purpose, 
and there have been far too many cases of accidental poisoning, 
due to unlabelled bottles in the medicine chest. Never keep any 
medicine very long. And don’t use any patent medicines. They 
do more harm than good and frequently prove more expensive in 
the end than sending for a doctor. 

There is no more dangerous habit than that of thinking that 
in nine cases out of ten home treatment is sufficient. As a matter 
of fact, the reverse is more nearly true, and many a serious illness 
would be avoided if a doctor were called in at the beginning. In 
case of accident, unless it is obviously very slight, always send for 
a doctor, and don’t administer first aid unless the condition is ur¬ 
gent, the doctor out of reach for some time, or some such con¬ 
tingency exists. The first aider should know what he is about 
before he sets to work. Willingness is not the only prerequisite. 
Common sense, knowledge of and practice in applying the prin¬ 
ciples—these are essential. In case of illness, the patient should 
be put in the hands of a physician, and then a knowledge of home 
nursing, under doctor’s orders, is invaluable. It would be folly 
to attempt to cover the field in one chapter, and it would be a good 
thing if every household owned a copy of the Bed Cross book on 
first aid and one on home hygiene and care of the sick. However, 
the statement of a few general principles on both these subjects 
may help in emergency, where more complete knowledge is miss¬ 
ing. 

First of all, you should know something about the tools you 
may need to use. The bandages contained in the first aid kits are of 


330 


APPENDIX I 


various kinds, depending on the size of the kit. There are three 
kinds of bandages: triangular, which are used for such things as 
slings; roller, which are the straight bandages with which every¬ 
one is more or less familiar; and four-tailed, which are essential 
for such cases as head wounds. Bandages have more uses than 
some of you may realize. They may keep dressings and splints in 
place, they may serve as slings, or they may stop bleeding by pres¬ 
sure. Then there are compresses or dressings, which must be surg¬ 
ically clean or else are worse than useless, for they are applied to 
open wounds, and if soiled may themselves infect the wound. If 
dressings are absolutely clean, and by that is meant sterilized, the 
danger of inflammation is slight, and it is inflammation which 
makes wounds troublesome and dangerous. If the wound has 
been exposed so that germs may have already entered it, iodine 
should be used if the exposure has not exceeded two hours. Perox¬ 
ide of hydrogen and water must not be used, as the first may wash 
the germs deeper and the second add fresh germs. Plaster must 
not be used, unless the wound is merely a surface scratch, not in¬ 
volving the whole thickness of the skin, and even in these cases 
collodion is better than plaster. 

It is to be hoped that the reader will never have to use splints, 
for amateur treatment of broken bones is agony for the patient 
and may turn a simple fracture into a compound (a fracture in 
which the broken bone has pierced the skin). However, accidents 
will occur at times when it is impossible to procure a doctor im¬ 
mediately. If the patient has to be carried, in such a case it is 
possible to improvise splints of straight pieces of wood. Use any 
stiff, rigid material, if wood is not available, pad the side to be 
placed next to the limb, be sure it is long enough and wide enough; 
and, having first straightened out the limb so that it is in as 
nearly normal a position as possible, hold it in this position by 
applying splints and bandaging them in place, firmly but not too 
tightly. 

Tourniquets are used in cases of bleeding, and if a real tourni- 


APPENDIX I 


331 


quet is not available, a small stone or a piece of wood may be used. 
It should be wrapped in a handkerchief and placed over the artery 
above the wound. This is held in place by an improvised strap, 
and the strap is then passed twice around the limb, tied loosely, 
and then tightened by having a stick passed between the layers 
and twisted until the pressure is sufficient to stop the bleeding. 

Everybody should know the uses to which heat and cold 
should be put in emergency. Where there is congestion or inflam¬ 
mation, heat will help the condition. It may be applied in the 
form of a hot-water bag, or if there is none available, a glass bottle 
filled with hot water, or a heated brick wrapped so as not to bruise 
the patient. Test the heat on your own skin, as there is always 
danger of burning the patient, especially if he is asleep or uncon¬ 
scious. Cold should be used to reduce temperature, to bring down 
swelling after an injury, to stimulate respiration, and to contract 
the blood vessels. A cold bath is an effective means to employ in 
some cases, but ice bags or sheets dipped in cold water and then 
wrung out are frequently possible when a bath is not. When 
using cold applications, you should accompany them with rubbing 
of the body to bring the blood back to the surface and to prevent 
chill. 

Stimulants are far too frequently used by amateurs, and it is 
important to know that there are many occasions when a stimu¬ 
lant is dangerous. An unconscious person cannot swallow, so the 
only form of stimulant used in those cases should be smelling salts 
or a whiff of ammonia. Alcoholic stimulant is rarely necessary, 
as aromatic spirits of ammonia (one-half teaspoonful to one-third 
of a glass of water), hot tea, coffee, beef tea, milk, or even water 
will usually serve, quite adequately. No stimulant at all should 
be used in cases of sunstroke, or apoplexy, or in any case, as stated 
above, while the patient is unconscious. 

Poisoning due to anything which has been taken into the 
stomach necessitates the use of an emetic. Certain poisons have 
certain antidotes; but a simple method of bringing on nausea is 


332 


APPENDIX I 


by drinking a cup of warm water in wkicb a teaspoonful of mus¬ 
tard bas been dissolved. Frequently, warm water alone is suffi¬ 
cient. If you want to cause vomiting and bave no remedy at band, 
running tbe finger down tbe tbroat is usually effective. 

Remember when faced by an emergency requiring first aid 
that tbe patient needs air and space, so disperse tbe crowd, and 
open a window, if tbe accident bas occurred indoors. Then loosen 
tbe clothing, partly to facilitate breathing and partly to be able 
to ascertain tbe extent of tbe injury. Before attempting any 
treatment, be sure what tbe nature of tbe injury is, and if there is 
more than one, which is most serious and needs attention first. 
Send for a doctor. Then, if tbe patient needs your aid, do what 
you can until tbe doctor arrives. 

Shock is an accompaniment of almost all accidents^ and needs 
treatment just as tbe injury itself does. Tbe patient should be 
laid down, if tbe face is flushed tbe bead and shoulders must be 
somewhat raised; if pale, tbe bead should be flat. If tbe patient 
is vomiting, turn him on bis side, so that be will not choke. If 
conscious and tbe nature of tbe injury does not make a stimulant 
dangerous, give whatever stimulant is available. Keep tbe pa¬ 
tient warm. 

Bleeding should be stopped at once, as there might, in some 
cases, be danger of tbe injured person bleeding to death before tbe 
arrival of tbe doctor. It is easy to recognize tbe nature of tbe 
bleeding, and this is very important as different kinds of bleeding 
require different treatments. Arterial bleeding produces bright 
red blood, which comes in jets. This requires pressure on tbe 
artery between tbe wound and tbe body, and a tourniquet, such as 
described above, is necessary. Do not leave a tourniquet on more 
than two hours. At tbe end of that time, place a compress over 
tbe wound and remove tbe tourniquet carefully. If tbe bleeding 
starts again, replace it and leave it on for another hour. Elevate 
the limb, if tbe bleeding is in a limb, as this makes tbe heart pump 
against gravity and lessens tbe supply of blood in that region. If 


APPENDIX I 


333 


the bleeding continues, it is frequently necessary to fasten a com¬ 
press over the wound itself, as well as using the pressure above. 
In the case of severance of a small artery, this treatment will be 
sufficient without the use of the tourniquet. Venous bleeding is 
recognizable by a steady flow of dark bluish blood. This is much 
simpler to treat than arterial bleeding, and requires only pressure 
at the point of the wound. If a sterilized compress is available, 
fasten that firmly in place, and elevate the limb. If no compress 
is obtainable, it will be necessary to close the wound with the fin¬ 
gers, even at the risk of infecting it. Hold it closed until a com¬ 
press can be made, and by this is meant a sterile compress. Sterile 
gauze or antiseptic gauze can be bought at any drug store, and a 
compress can be made of this, care being taken not to touch with 
the fingers that part of the compress which is to touch the wound. 
Hands may be sterilized by scrubbing them for five minutes with 
hot running water, soap, and a nailbrush, then wiped with a clean 
cloth, and used only for the application of the compress. To steri¬ 
lize the compress, boil a handkerchief for ten minutes, or soak it 
in any good antiseptic solution. Then, the handkerchief must be 
taken out and squeezed dry, the operator being careful not to 
touch the part which is to go on the wound. The third kind of 
bleeding is comparatively unimportant—capillary oozing of brick 
red blood—and is stopped simply by bandaging. 

Internal bleeding or hemorrhage may be from the lungs or 
the stomach. If from the lungs, bright red frothy blood is coughed 
up; if from the stomach, dark red blood is vomited. The patient 
should be laid down, with the head lower than the body, and ice 
bags or cold cloths applied at the place where the hemorrhage 
comes. It is needless to say that a doctor must be summoned 
at once. 

A common form of hemorrhage or bleeding which does not 
usually require a doctor is nose blood. Simple remedies in most 
cases stop the bleeding before it becomes dangerous. A key 
dropped down the back or cold cloths or ice held at the back of the 
16 


334 


APPENDIX I 


neck is often sufficient. If not, place a roll of paper under the 
upper lip, between the lip and the gum, snuff salt and water (one 
teaspoonful to a cup), and then push a tiny roll of cotton or gauze 
up each nostril. If the bleeding continues with violence for a long 
time, send for a physician. 

Bleeding sometimes is caused by the bite of a dog or a cat, 
and in such cases or in the case of snake poisoning, the wound 
must be tied off from the rest of the body, as in the arterial bleed¬ 
ing, not only to stop the blood, but to prevent the infected blood 
from going back to the body, and spreading the poison. Soak the 
wound in hot water, squeeze or “milk” it so as to get out all the 
poison, and if necessary suck it out. This does not endanger the 
person who sucks the poison, unless there are abrasions or cuts in 
the mouth. The place should be cauterized, but this requires skill 
which few unprofessional people have. 

There are a good many injuries which may occur through a 
very slight accident or simply a misstep. This group includes 
bruises, strains, sprains, and dislocations. Few bruises are very 
serious, and usually the application of cold cloths, and rubbing 
gently with witch hazel or arnica, will be found sufficient. A 
strain is an injury of the muscles, and requires rest for a short 
time, and gentle rubbing with alcohol and water, arnica, or witch 
hazel to take out the soreness. Always rub towards the body. A 
sprain is an injury to the joint and is more serious than a strain. 
Elevate the injured limb, and rest it until the swelling goes down. 
Apply alternate heat and cold. Dislocations should not be med¬ 
dled with by the uninitiated. They involve a slipping out of place 
of the bones, and if put back wrong, will cause great pain and 
suffering. Of fractures, enough for this purpose has been said 
under the discussion of splints. 

Burns fall into two classes: first, what are actually burns 
from dry heat; and second, scalding, from hot water or any hot 
liquid. If the burn is slight, cover it with a paste of baking soda 
and water, or apply oil (olive or castor), vaseline, or lard. Band- 


APPENDIX I 


335 


age lightly. If the burn is severe, use a dressing of picric acid 
gauze, moistened with steam, not water. Burns by acids and al¬ 
kalies resemble burns by heat. Wash off at once under running 
water. Where the burn has been caused by acid apply lime water, 
or a mixture of baking soda and water, or if neither is available, 
soap suds. If alkalies have caused the burn, wash as with acid 
burns and neutralize with vinegar, lemon juice, or hard cider. 
Then treat as you would treat an ordinary burn. A word of warn¬ 
ing in regard to an accident with fire: Roll the person who has 
canght on fire in a coat, blanket, or rug. Motion fans the flames, 
so do not let the person run around the room, but throw him to the 
ground. In removing burned clothing, cut it off, as pulling is very 
apt to pull off burned skin at the same time. 

Unconsciousness probably demands more frequent first aid 
than any other one thing, and in many cases the first aider can 
accomplish what a doctor could before the doctor arrives. How¬ 
ever, as an inexperienced person cannot determine the cause of 
unconsciousness, a doctor should be summoned. If a person com¬ 
plains of feeling faint, it is frequently possible to prevent fainting 
by putting the head down between the knees. If it has gone beyond 
the point of prevention, lay the patient down, with the head lower 
than the body, unless the unconsciousness is due to apoplexy, in 
which case the head must be raised. Clear the crowd away, give 
the patient air, loosen the clothing, especially around the neck, 
sprinkle exposed surfaces with cold water, and rub the limbs, rub¬ 
bing towards the body. When the patient recovers consciousness 
do not let him rise too soon, as it may cause nausea and a return 
of faintness. A simple faint is easily distinguishable from a fit in 
the early stages, but when complete unconsciousness has followed 
the fit, it is often difficult to determine which it is. A slight froth 
at the mouth or signs of disarranged clothing due to struggles or 
a bitten tongue would suggest a fit. In the early stages the person 
falls down with a cry, goes through convulsive movements and 
jerking of the arms and legs and head, the eyes roll, and there is 


336 


APPENDIX I 


usually foaming at tlie mouth. Place the patient on the ground, 
where he cannot hurt himself in threshing around, and put some¬ 
thing in his mouth to prevent his biting his tongue. Do not try 
to hold him in an effort to stop the convulsions. Apoplexy and alco¬ 
holic poisoning cause unconsciousness and are easily distinguish¬ 
able from other forms but not from each other. Even the odor of 
liquor on the breath is inconclusive, and it is often determined by 
an amateur only by the pupils, the sensitiveness of the eyeballs, 
and the paralysis. In apoplexy the pupils are large and often un¬ 
equal in size, the eyeballs insensitive to touch, and part of the 
body paralyzed. If it is impossible to judge by any of these symp¬ 
toms until the physician arrives, treat as for apoplexy, and be care¬ 
ful not to cause vomiting, as this would increase the bleeding in 
the brain. In either case the face is red, the breathing rather 
heavy. The patient must be laid on a bed or the floor, with the 
head and shoulders raised. Ice bags or cold cloths should be 
placed on the head, and hot-water bottles against the limbs. No 
stimulants should be given. Where unconsciousness is due to 
drunkenness, and the patient can be aroused enough to swallow, 
give an emetic to cause vomiting, and then a stimulant such as 
strong coffee or aromatic spirits of ammonia. Place hot water 
bottles around the patient and rub limbs towards the body to in¬ 
crease the circulation. If the unconsciousness is due to swallow¬ 
ing poison; give an emetic if you do not know what poison has 
been taken, otherwise give the antidote for the particular poison. 
Instructions on this subject cannot be given in this short space. It 
is well, when getting a poison, to have the antidote written on the 
label. 

Sometimes unconsciousness is due to sunstroke, heat exhaus¬ 
tion, or freezing. In the case of sunstroke apply cold cloths or 
ice to the head and body and rub continually to prevent chill. 
Do not give any stimulant. It is distinguishable from heat 
exhaustion by redness of the face, as opposed to paleness in the 
case of heat exhaustion. A person overcome by heat should be 


APPENDIX I 


337 


taken to a cool place, made to lie down, given cold water to drink, 
followed by stimulants, if able to swallow, and surrounded by ice 
bags or cold cloths. Where freezing has caused unconsciousness, 
it is important to remember that too sudden heat is dangerous, so 
the patient must be taken into a moderately cool place, and 
wrapped in moderately cool cloths. Then the heat can be in¬ 
creased gradually. Hub the limbs towards the body, and give a 
stimulant as soon as he can swallow. A person rescued from 
drowning requires artificial respiration, too large a subject for 
this space, but a thing that everyone should understand. 

So far we have dealt only with accidents and emergencies, but 
there are a great many cases of more frequent occurrence that in¬ 
volve common ailments, and in which home treatment is frequently 
sufficient. By this we mean such things as colds, slight sore 
throat, headache, and so on. Colds are a danger signal and should 
never be ignored. The theory that a cold must run its course and 
can’t be stopped is absurd. At the start it is not difficult to break 
up a cold, and as it may be the signal of something worse, it should 
always be attended to promptly. Take a day or so off—it will save 
you time in the end, and an even temperature should be maintained 
when you are trying to break up a cold. Use some cathartic— 
castor oil is the best, in most cases. This clears you out and car¬ 
ries off the poison in your system, and probably the germ that 
caused the cold. Before going to bed take a hot bath, drink a glass 
of hot lemonade, and then wrap yourself up very warmly to bring 
on excessive perspiration. Eat lightly for a day or two. The 
theory that you should feed a cold has no good foundation, for 
many colds are due to a slight digestive upset. An atomizer should 
form a part of every household equipment, and should be used up 
the nose and down the throat, in case of any soreness of the throat. 
An excellent and very simple spray is made of salt and warm 
water,—one quarter teaspoonful of salt to half a glass of water. 
Make it fresh each time it is to be used, as warm water is less irri¬ 
tating. Another good spray contains baking soda in addition—* 


838 


APPENDIX I 


one-half teaspoonful each of salt and baking soda to a glass of 
warm water. Either of these sprays may be used as a gargle. 
Listerine and water also makes an excellent gargle. Avoid patent 
medicines for colds. If the above simple treatment is not suffi¬ 
cient, call in a doctor. 

Headaches are usually due to some disturbance: eye strain, 
indigestion, or neuralgia. Where headache follows use of the 
eyes, waste no time before consulting an oculist. If it comes from 
indigestion—this includes constipation—eat carefully and use 
a cathartic. (But don’t get into the habit of using cathartics. 
Constipation can be cured by regulated diet and by exercise, and 
must be cured in that way.) For instant relief from headache, 
resting in a cool, darkened room, and rubbing the forehead with 
a menthol pencil, or applying handkerchiefs soaked in cold water 
or in eau de cologne, will be found effective. 

Diarrhea should be treated with an idea of expelling the 
irritating matter from the bowels, and 1/10 grain doses of calo¬ 
mel, fifteen minutes apart, for six doses, followed ten hours later 
by a dose of Epsom Salts, usually accomplishes this. If it con¬ 
tinues and causes cramps, take a teaspoonful of syrup of ginger 
in one-third of a glass of water after each passage. If there is 
no cramping, 20 grains of subnitrate of bismuth, three times a 
day, is a good remedy. Care should be taken for a day or so with 
the diet, and it is just as well to use only small quantities of 
boiled milk for twenty-four hours. 

Hiccoughing is a very unpleasant form of indigestion, and is 
caused by a spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm. Holding 
the breath as long as possible usually cures it, as the air in the 
chest forces the diaphragm down and stops the contraction. That 
is why frightening a person stops hiccoughing, for it makes him 
take a long breath. Drinking water, nine swallows without 
breathing between them, has the same effect. If you can fill the 
glass to the brim, then lean over and sip from the far side, this 
will be even more effective as the cramped position helps force 


APPENDIX I 


339 


the diaphragm down. If the hiccoughs persist, vomiting will 
usually cure it. 

Disease in its more serious forms could be cut down enor¬ 
mously if instruction in health and hygiene were given to every 
man, woman, and child, and if public service departments were 
conscientious in the performance of their duties. Water, milk, 
food, insects, and people are the five main agents for carrying 
disease. The agitation concerning public drinking fountains has 
brought about a good deal of reform; full results are impossible 
without further cooperation on the part of the public, who con¬ 
tinue to drink from public open fountains, and to use common 
drinking cups. The public has the right to insist upon absolutely 
pure milk; and having procured pure milk every housekeeper 
should take great care to keep the milk covered, and to wipe the 
mouth of the bottle always before pouring the milk. Buying food 
from open stands is another way in which the public encourages 
the spread of disease, and here again legislation is useless without 
public cooperation. Flies carry germs everywhere, and as long 
as people are careless about leaving food exposed, allowing bad 
sewage disposal to exist, and exposing garbage, flies will continue 
to breed and to carry disease. All insects and vermin should be 
kept out of houses, and this is possible if the public will waken to 
the dangers involved if they are allowed to continue. 

People are largely responsible for carrying disease as wel] 
as for allowing bad conditions to exist. If nobody put hands to 
the mouth, the most dangerous carriers of disease would be 
eliminated. The hands touch all sorts of things covered with 
germs, and then convey those germs to the mouth. Coughing, 
sneezing, and kissing are responsible for spreading germs, and 
should be controlled. Discharges from the bladder and bowels 
in cases of illness may also spread disease, especially contagious 
disease, if the discharges are not covered. Stricter quarantine 
laws should be enforced where contagious diseases exist and each 
individual should hold himself or herself responsible for carry- 


340 


APPENDIX I 


ing out those laws. If all these suggestions were complied with, 
disease would not get the upper hand as it does so often in the case 
of epidemics. 

The first duty of the home nurse is to obey the instructions 
of the doctor. A chart should be kept, with records of tempera¬ 
ture, pulse, medicine, food, and anything else the doctor will wish 
to know when he makes his visit. The normal temperature of an 
adult is 98.5°. The pulse rate varies, but in a man is usually 
about 72 beats, and in a woman about 80. The respiration of an 
adult averages between 16 and 20 a minute. Every home nurse 
should be able to take the temperature and count the pulse beats 
and the respiration. 

The care of the sick room is important both from the point 
of view of hygiene and of the condition of the patient. There 
should be no unnecessary furniture to collect dust; the light 
should be carefully adjusted so as not to tire the eyes; the bed 
should be made as often as necessary, and kept smooth and free 
from crumbs; the tray should be carefully prepared to tempt the 
appetite, in accordance with instructions about diet; the patient 
should be kept clean, hair brushed, face and hands washed, and 
garments changed. A home nurse should learn how to make a 
bed with the patient in it, how to change the clothes without undue 
disturbance, and how to bathe the patient. Careful instructions 
on all these subjects are given in the Red Cross book on Home 
Hygiene and Care of the Sick. Remember that careless bed-mak¬ 
ing frequently causes bed sores, which are very painful and can 
be avoided. If they seem to occur in spite of smooth bed and 
cleanliness, the nurse should make soft pads for the patient to 
lie on, so as to protect the parts on which pressure comes. A 
rubber ring is sometimes useful in such cases. 

Diet and medicine must be regulated by the doctor’s instruc¬ 
tions, and the nurse should never alter either diet or medicine 
without consulting him. If every home nurse considered this as 
a hard and fast rule, patients would recover more rapidly, and 


APPENDIX I 


341 


doctors would not feel that trained nurses were essential in slight 
illness. The seriousness of a disease depends on the early care 
and on the strict adherence to instructions. Do not undertake to 
nurse a member of your family or any inmate of your house unless 
you realize this to the full, or you may cause a serious illness, 
where otherwise the illness w T ould be slight. 



\ 



APPENDIX II 


VALUABLE MISCELLANEOUS FORMULAE FOR EVERY-DAY USE IN 
ADDITION TO THOSE USED THROUGHOUT THE BOOK 


Lotion fob Sunburn 


Calamine 

Zinc Oxide each.aa drs. 4 

Phenol.drops 10 

Glycerin.drs. 2 

Rose Water.oz. 4 

Lime Water to make.oz. 8 


Apply freely to affected parts. 
Excellent Cold Cream 


White Wax 

Spermaceti, each.oz. 

Oil Sweet Almond.4 oz. 

Rose Water. 4 oz. 

Borax. 1 dr. 


Melt White Wax and Spermaceti at 
a gentle heat. While still hot add Oil 
Sweet Almond. Dissolve Borax in the 
Rose Water and add to the above clear 
liquid. Beat until cold. 

Tonic for Dandruff 


Castor Oil .drs. i 

Mercury Bichloride.grs. iii 

Euresol pro capillis.drs. Ip 2 

Benzaldehyde .oz. 1 


Alcohol, enough to make.oz. 8 

Use every other day. Part hair and 
apply a small quantity with gentle 
massage. 

Cure for Ivy Poison 


F. E. Grindelia .drs. 4 

Distilled Water to make.oz. 4 


Apply three or four times a day. 


To Dry up Cold Sores or Fever 
Blisters 
Spirits Camphor 

Sweet Spirit of Nitre.... equal parts 
Dab on parts every few hours. 

A Soothing Application for Sunburn 

Sodium Bicarbonate .1 oz. 

Cold Cream .7 oz. 

Apply freely. 

Lanolin Cold Cream 

Anhydrous Lanolin.1 oz. 

Benzoinated Lard .2 oz. 

Rose Water.6 oz. 

Melt first and second ingredients and 
add Rose Water, stirring until cold. 

Quinine Hair Tonic 


Quinine Sulphate.20 grs. 

Bay Rum. 4 drs. 

Glycerin. 4 drs. 

Tinct. Cantharides.2 drs. 

Tinct. Capsicum.2 drs. 

Water to make.16 oz. 

Apply once a day. 

Bandoline 

Quince Seed . 2 drs. 

Water.1 pt. 

Alcohol .1 oz. 

Cologne Water.1 oz. 

Oil Bergamot.6 drops 


Gently boil Quince Seed in the water 
until evaporated to 12 oz. Strain 


342 


































APPENDIX II 


343 


through muslin. When nearly cold add 
other ingredients. 

Dr. W. C. S. Hair Tonic 


Tincture Cantharides.drs. i 

Bay Rum 

Ext. Witch Hazel to make.4 oz. 


Apply with gentle massage every 
other day. Very good to stop falling 
of hair and to stimulate its growth. 

For Enlarged Pores and Whitening 
the Skin 

Tincture Benzoin .oz. i 

Ten or fifteen drops in about a quart 
of cold water. Rinse face. 

Skin Tissue Cream 

Lanolin Anhydrous 

Cocoa Butter, each.2 oz. 

Melt Cocoa Butter—add Lanolin and 
stir until cold. Use as a massage at 
night. 

Camphorated Witch Hazel Lotion 


Spirits Camphor 

Glycerin, each .1 oz. 

Ext. Witch Hazel, enough to 
make .6 oz. 


Very good for chapped hands or for 
softening the skin. 

One-Two-Three Toothache Drops 


Phenol .1 dr. 

Oil Cinnamon.2 drs. 

Oil Cloves.3 drs. 


Apply to the cavity on a small piece 
of cotton on the end of a toothpick. 

To Dry up Pimples 

Acetanelid 

Alcohol 


Make a saturated solution. Apply 
to face at night. Do not rub. 

For Excessive Perspiration 


Powdered Alum (dried).oz. 

Carbolic Acid.10 drops 

Moric Acid.2 oz. 


Mix well. Dissolve a teaspoonful in 
half pint water and dab on affected 
parts. Then dust on some of powder 
after drying. 

Excellent Shampoo 

Tincture Green Soap.oz. 4 

Two teaspoonfuls in a cup warm 
water. Wet hair and apply until a 
copious lather results. 

Soothing Foot Powder 


Boric Acid.1 oz. 

Salicylic Acid .1 dr. 

Talcum Purified.4 oz. 


Dust in shoes. Fine for tired or 
aching feet. 

For Perspiration of the Feet 

Solution of Formaldehyde.4 oz. 

Add a tablespoonful to a foot bath. 
Use every other day. 

Mouth Wash 


Zinc Sulphocarbolate.drs. i 

Alcohol .oz. i 

Oil Wintergreen .8 drops 

Distilled Water to make.3 oz. 


Two teaspoonfuls to a wineglass of 
water to be used as a mouth wash once 
a day. This formula is used by a well- 
known dentist. 

For Corns 


Salicylic Acid .drs. i 

Tr. Cannabis Indica.drs. i 

Acetic Acid.oz. i 


Apply to corns twice a day. 

























INDEX 


A PAGE 

Abdominal muscles— 

Development of. 80 

Accessories .. 323 

Accident (see First Aid) 

Acne . 228 

Acne rosacea . 228 

Action (see carriage also).63,72 

Adolescence . 227 

Age, for sports .126,135,139 

Air, fresh. 22 

Alcohol— 

and digestion. 228 

poisoning . 336 

Amateur theatricals, make-up for . 246 

American women . 243 

Ankle, reduction of. 84 

Apoplexy . 336 

Appetite. 87 

Archeology. 35 

Arches, fallen. 302 

Arm— 

Development of. 80 

Reduction of . 84 

Treatment of. 275 

Art of make up .31,243,248 

Athletics (see Sports) .125,140 

Aspasia. 39 

B 

Baby’s— 

hair. 148 

feet . 303 

skin. 221 

teeth . 261 

Back— 

Reduction of. 84 

Baldness . 177 



PAGE 

Bandage . 

. 330 

Baseball . 

. 137 

Basketball . 

. 135 

Bath . 

. 309 

Bran . 

. 312 

Cold . 

.212, 309 

Milk . 

. 312 

Russian . 


Salts . 


Sponge . 


Sun . 

. 153 

Turkish . 

. 311 

Warm . 


Beatrice . 


Beauty— 


and clothes .... 

. 321 

and eyes. 


and fashion .... 

. 116 

and habits . 


and health. 

....19, 87,112,122 

and a job. 

.115,125,48 

and marriage ... 


doctors . 


in history. 


of face . 


of figure . 


of hair.. 


secrets . 

. 29 

spots . 


Bite, dog . 


Blackheads . 

.219,226, 227 

Bleaching . 


Bleeding. 


Blemish, skin .... 


Bobbed hair. 


Bones, broken ... 


Bowling . 



344 


































































INDEX 


345 


PAGE 

Breath, offensive . 263 

Breathing— 

Correct . 60 

Exercises . 63 

Improper . 263 

Brush . 151 

Brushing. 152 

Bunions ... 302 

Burns .334, 335 

Bust— 

Development of. 79 

Exercises for. 79 

Reduction of . 84 

C 

Calluses . 300 

Canker sores . 263 

Calory system.95,99 

Camp, Walter ....67,112 

Carbohydrates .91,111 

Carriage .72,75 

Castiglione, Countess de . 47 

Cells, hair . 144 

Chafing . 225 

Chapping .225,272 

Cheeks— 

Massage of.83,103 

Chilblains . 301 

Chin— 

Massage of.237,238 

Reduction .83,124 

Chiropodist .295, 299 

Cinder, removal of . 254 

Cleanliness .214, 244 

Cleopatra . 39 

Clothes .321,325 

and health . 321 

Details of . 323 

Simplicity of. 322 

Suitability of . 322 

Cold, use of .. 331 

Colds . 337 

Cold sores . 231 


PAGE 

Color— 

Hair . 144 

Pigment . 144 

Skin .213,216 

Comb. 148 

Combing. 151 

Complexion (see skin) . 211 

Compresses . 333 

Constipation .88,132,338 

Copeland, Royal S . 107 

Corns . 300 

Corsets .63, 321 

Cosmetics (see make-up) .118,243, 248 
Creams— 

Care of . 223 

Cold . 216 

Excessive use of . 244 

Foundation . 244 

Honey and almond . 225 

Kinds of. 219 

Vanishing . 219 

Cretans . 35 

Crow’s feet . 238 

Cupping . 239 

Curling.193,198,202 

Cuticle, care of. 282 

Cutis . 144 

D 

Daily Dozen.67,121 

Dancing . 128 

Dandruff— 

Causes of. 170 

Oily . 172 

Treatment of.... 171 

Depilatories . 183 

Derma . 212 

Dermatologist .225, 230 

Development— 

of abdominal muscles. 80 

of bust . 79 

of cheeks. 83 

of legs. 80 

of necks . 79 

of shoulders. 80 













































































346 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Diarrhea . 338 

Diet .76,104 

and hair. 173 

and skin. 212 

General rules for . 88 

to decrease weight .96,104 

to increase weight.91, 95 

Diseases— 

of hair and scalp .169,181 

of skin . 225 

Parasitic.179,181 

Prevention of. 339 

Dislocation . 334 

Disorders— 

of the scalp .169,181 

of the skin. 225 

Diving . 128 

Doctor.26,329,332 

Beauty . 29 

Drowning . 337 

Du Barry, Countess. 43 

Dyeing .60,189 

E 

Ears . 257 

Eczema . 231 

Egyptians .. 36 

Electricity . 122 

Electrolysis . 184 

Epidermis . 212 

Epilepsy.335,336 

Exercise . 59 

and health . 21 

and weight. 76 

as a medicine. 60 

Energizing. 64 

for development of— 

carriage . 63 

bust . 79 

cheeks . 83 

legs . 80 

muscles of abdomen. 80 

muscles of waist. 75 

muscles of eyes. 255 


PAGE 


muscular control .... 

neck. 

shoulders . 

for expansion. 

for reduction of— 
ankles and wrists 

back. 

chin . 

hips . 

neck. 

shoulders . 

For relaxation. 

Test. 

through athletics 
through systematic 

cises . 

through walking .... 

Expansion . 

Eye brows-*— 

Care of. 

Make-up for. 

Eye lashes— 

Care of. 

Make-up for. 

Eyes . 

Care of. 

Exercises for. 

Health and . 

Massage of. 

Making up . 

Strained . 


... 75 

. 79 

. 80 

. 63 

....... 84 

. 84 

. 83 

69, 75, 84, 96 

. 83 

. 84 

....... 26 

.67,71 

. 60 

exer- 

.60,121 

.60,138 

. 63 

....256, 257 
. 245 

....256, 257 

. 245 

....253,257 

. 254 

....255, 256 

. 253 

....238, 256 

. 245 

. 254 


F 

Face— 

Make-up rules for.246, 248 

Plastic surgery for . 266 

Facial massage.233, 240 

Danger of.233, 238 

for crow’s feet . 238 

for mouth... 238 

for neck and lip wrinkles. 238 

for wrinkles around eyes. 238 

for wrinkles on forehead.238 

Frequency of. 234 

of forehead . 237 















































































INDEX 


347 


PAGE 

Facial massage, frequency of, 

—Continued 


of cheeks. 237 

of chin. 237 

Order for. 234 

Preparation for. 233 

Types of. 233 

Value . 233 

Fainting . 335 

False hair . 190 

Fats.91,111 

Fatty tissue . 212 

Favus . 179 

Features . 253 

Feet.293,294 

Bathing of. 296 

Care of nails on. 295 

Flat. 302 

Massage of. 297 

Tired . 296 

Troubles with .299,303 

Figure 

Ideal . 67 

and health . 59 

First Aid .328, 337 

for bleeding.331,332,334 

for broken bones. 330 

for burns. 334 

for inflammation. 331 

for poisoning. 331 

for shock . 332 

for sprains. 334 

for unconsciousness .335, 337 

for wounds. 330 

Necessity for . 329 

kit . 328 

Follicles . 144 

Forehead, massage of.237 

Formulae— 

Antiseptic ointment— 

for feet . 301 

Bandoline . 242 

Bath lotion. 312 

Bran bags . 312 


PAGE 

Calluses . 300 

Camphorated witch hazel lotion 343 

Cold cream. 342 

Cold sores . 342 

Corns . 301,343 

Dandruff . 342 

Dry scalp (ointment) . 173 

Egg shampoo. 153 

Excessive perspiration. 343 

Foot powder. 343 

Glycerine lotion. 229 

Hair tonic (dry scalp). 173 

Hair tonic (oily scalp). 174 

Hair tonic . 343 

Hair tonic (quinine) . 342 

Hands, red.273,274 

Hands, stained (2) . 272 

Hands, sunburned . 274 

Ivy poison . 342 

Lotion for blackheads (2).227 

Lotion for enlarged pores 

(3) .226,343 

Lotion for sunburn or freckles 

(4) .229,342 

Lotion for tan, etc. 230 

Mouth wash.262, 343 

Nail bleach. 285 

Nails, fragile. 287 

Nails with white spots. 288 

Nails stained. 285 

Oatmeal bags. 226 

Perspiring feet . 343 

Pimples. 343 

Powder after bath . 315 

Red nose ointment . 231 

Scalp lotion. 161 

Shampoo. 343 

Skin- 

dry and rough. 220 

freshener . 221 

lotion . 220 

oily (2). 317 

tissue cream. 343 

tonic . 239 
















































































348 


INDEX 



PAGE 

Formulas —Continued 

Soap jelly. 

. 153 

Sulphur pomade .. 

. 172 

Spray for throat or nose.337 

Talcum powder (3) 

. 221 

Toothache. 

. 343 

Fractures . 

. 330 

Freckles . 

.214, 229 

Freezing. 

. 336 

G 

Glands. 

.313,314 

Sebaceous. 

....144, 212, 316 

Sweat . 

....144, 212, 313 

Transference of ... 

. 267 

Glasses, Eye. 

....253, 324, 325 

Gloves. 

.278, 324 

for housework .... 

. 271 

for gardening .... 

. 272 

Glycerine . 

. 229 

Golf . 

. 132 

Grease paint . 

. 246 

Greeks . 

.35,39 

Gwynn, Nell . 

.29,51 

H 

Hair . 

.143, 206 

and beauty. 

.143,147 

and health. 

.143,170 

Applications treatment . 157 

Arrangement of .. 

.194,197 

Baby’s, Care of ... 

. 148 

Bleaching. 

. 189 

Bobbed . 

.190,193 

Care of.. 

.147,165 

Curling. 

193,194,198, 202 

Curly . 

144,148,154,165 

Diseases of. 

.169,181 

dressers . 

. 162 

dressing . 

.189,197 

Dyeing. 

.158,189 

Falling . 

. 177 

False . 

.190, 202, 206 

Gray. 

. 157 

Implements for ... 

. 148,190 



PAGE 

Oily. 

. 174 

Pulling .. 

. 154 

Shampooing.. 

.152,154 

Split. 

. 161 

Structure of.. 

.143,147 

Superfluous .. 

.183,185 

Tonics.. 

.161,177 

Treatments. 

.162,172 

Hands. 

. 271 

and gardening ...., 

. 272 

and housework ..., 

. 271 

Care of. 

.271, 278 

Chapped . 

. 272 

Exercising .. 

. 277 

Hardened.. 

. 176 

Massage of. 

....273, 274, 276 

Moist. 

.277,316 

Protection of. 

. 272 

Bed . 

. 272 

Thin. 

. 277 

Treatment of. 

.274, 283 

Twitching. 

. 276 

Hangnails. 

. 282 

Harelip. 

. 264 

Hats . 

.165,323 

Headache . 

. 338 

Head lice. 

. 180 

Health— 


and air. 

. 22 

and appetite . 

. 87 

and clothes. 

. 321 

and beauty. 

.19,29 

and diet. 

. 20 

and eyes. 

.253 

and exercise. 

.21,72,76 

and figure . 

. 108 

and occupation ... 

.71,125 

and skin. 

. 211 

and sleep . 

. 25 

and weight. 

. 107 

General rules of ... 

.20,29 

Heat, Uses of. 

. 331 

Helen of Troy. 

. 35 

Hiccough .. 

. 338 





















































































INDEX 


349 


PAGE 

Hips, Reduction of.67, 71, 76, 84 

Hockey . 136 

Home treatment of— 

accidents (see First Aid) . .328, 337 

blackheads . 226 

chafing . 225 

chapping. 225 

colds . 337 

cold sores. 231 

diarrhea . 338 

freckles . 229 

headache. 338 

hiccough . 338 

oily skin.. 226 

pimples. 227 

poison ivy . 232 

red nose . 231 

sunburn. 229 

tan . 229 

the sick.339, 341 

Housework. 22 

and hands.271,283 

I 

Illness (see home treatment) 
Implements— 

for the hair.148,151 

for the skin. 222 

Indigestion .21, 88, 263 

Insomnia. 25 

Instruments for— 

chiropody. 25 

manicuring. 299 

Ivy poisoning . 232 

J 

Jewelry . 324 

Joints, enlarged . 276 

K 

Kellerman, Annette. 126 

L 

Lanoil . 201 

Layer, fatty.144, 212 

Legs, Development of. 80 


PAGE 

Leichner’s grease paint.246 

Length of hair. 147 

Leucorrhea . 317 

Lips— 

Colorless.245 

Making up. 245 

Lotion (see formulae) 

Louise, Queen. 44 

M 

Make-up .243,248 

Cleanliness in . 244 

Excessive use of. 243 

for amateur theatricals .... 246, 248 

Foundation cream for. 244 

Lip sticks for. 245 

Powder for . 245 

Removal of. 247 

Rouge for. 244 

Use in America. 243 

Use on eyes. 245 

Manicuring .283, 287 

Manual .197,202 

Marie Antoinette . 40 

Mary, Queen of Scots. 40 

Mascara. 246 

Massage— 

of cheeks . 83 

of chin . 83 

of face.221,223,233,240 

(see facial massage) 

of feet. 297 

of hands and arms ... .273, 274, 276 

of scalp.154,157,171 

Medicine chest . 328 

Medulla. 144 

Mineral . 91 

Moles. 230 

Mona Lisa. 47 

Moth spots. 230 

Mouth— 

Make-up for. 247 

Shape of. 263 

Sores in.263 






































































350 


INDEX 


Nails . 

N 

PAGE 

. 281 

Biting of . 


.. 288 

Bruised . 


. 287 

Care of. 


.282,287 

Fragile . 


. 287 

Ingrowing. 


.295, 302 

Spotted. 


. 287 

Structure of .. 


. 281 

Toe. 


. 295 

Neck. 


.79,83 

Massage of .... 


. 238 

Nerves, resting of 


. 239 

Nestle, C. 


.197,198 

Ninon de Lenclos 


. 48 

Nose— 

Red . 


. 231 

bleed . 


. 333 

Nurse, home. 


. 340 

Oatmeal bags .... 

0 

. 226 

Oculist . 


.253,255 

Occupation . 


.71,125 

and clothes .... 


. 323 

Odorono . 


.. 315 

Oil glands . 


...144, 212,316 

Oily— 

hair . 


. 174 

skin . 


.226,316 

Papillae. 

P 

.144, 212 

Paraffin injection 


.239, 266 

Parasitic diseases 


.179,181 

Pauline Bonapartt 

* 

. 48 

Perfumes . 



Permanent wave . 


. . .197,198, 202 

Perspiration -- 


...277,313, 316 

Pimples. 



Plastic surgery .. 


. 239 

Poison ivy . 


. 232 

Poison oak. 


. 232 

Poisoning . 


.332, 336 


Pompadour, Marquise de 

PAGE 

. 40 

Pores . 

.213, 219, 226 

Posture, correct . 

.72,322 

Powder— 

Kinds of. 

.221, 245 

Proper use of.. 

. 221 

puffs .. 

.223, 245 

Value of.. 

. 221 

Proteins .. 

.91, 111 

Pulse. 

. 340 

Q 

Quacks. 

.232, 258,265 

R 

Recamier, Madame. 

. 43 

Recreation . 

. 120 

Red Cross— 

books . 

.329, 340 

Courses. 

. 328 

First Aid . 

. 328 

Red nose. 

. 231 

Reduction (also see exercise) 

Advisability of ....... 

. 83 

by daily dozen. 

. 67 

by diet .76,96,104,108 

by exercise. 

.76,83 

by electricity. 

. 122 

by rubber garments . .. 

. 124 

by special systems. 

. 124 

by walking. 

. 139 

Contest in . 

_107,112 

Relaxation . 

. 26 

Rest. 

. 120 

Respiration. 

. 340 

Riding. 

. 128 

Ringworm. 

. 180 

Romans. 

,. 36 

Rouge . 

. 244 

Rubinstein, Helena. 

.. 267 

S 

Scalds . 

. 334 

Scalp—Massage of. 

,154,171,174 

Scaly.. 

.172,174 











































































INDEX 


351 


Scaly patches.. 

PAGE 

. 230 

Sebaceous glands .., 

.144,313 

Secrets.. 


Serum of youth . .. .. 

.266, 268 

Shampooing. 

.152,154 

Dry . 

.152,157 

Shaving. 

. 184 

Shock.. 


Shoes.293,295,297,303,223 

Shoulders. 

.80,84 

Simonetta .. 

. 47 

Skating .. 

. 132 

Skiing . . 

. 135 

Skin .. 

.211,248 

and diet.. 

. 212 

as organ of elimination. 212 

Characteristics of . 

. 213 

Cleansing of. 

.214, 220, 233 

Cupping . 

. 239 

Drying of. 

. 216 

Firming up .. 

. 239 

foods.. 

.219, 236, 239 

Functions of. 

. 213 

Health and. 

. 211 

Hygiene of. 

. 213 

Massage of.. 

.220, 223, 233, 240 

Oily. 

. 226 

Protection of. 

. 219 

Structure of. 

. 212 

Troubles with .... 

.223, 225 

Use of creams on . 

..216, 220 

Use of lotions on .. 

. 220 

Use of make-up on 

.243, 248 

Use of perfumes on 

. 222 

Use of powder on . 

. 221 

Sleep . 

. 25 

Soap . 

153,172, 215, 310 

Solution, saturated .. 

. 263 

Splints . 

. 330 

Sports. 

.125,140 

Sprains. 

. 334 

Steaming . 

. 226 

Stimulants . 

. 331 

Stockings . 

. 295 


PAGE 

Strains . 334 

Structure— 

of hair .143,147 

of nails. 281 

of skin . 212 

Sun— 

baths . 153 

burn. 229 

on the skin. 214 

stroke . 336 

Superfluous hair.183,185 

and soap. 215 

on arms . 277 

Swedish exercises. 121 

Swimming .126,128 

T 

Tan .214,229 

Taylor, Laurette. 246 

Teeth .144,261,263 

Temperature— 

for exercising . 64 

Normal . 340 

of hands .. 277 

of water for face. 214 

Kegulation of. 314 

Tennis. 131 

Theatricals, amateur— 

Use of make-up in.246, 248 

Tobogganing. 135 

Toilet water. 222 

Tonics (also see formulae) ... .161,177 

Tourniquets . 330 

Towels .222,311 

Track . 137 

Transformation.202, 206 

Treatment, Hand .274,283 

U 

Unconsciousness .335,337 

Alcoholic poisoning . 336 

Apoplexy . 336 

Drowning. 337 

Epileptic fit. 335 

















































































352 


INDEX 


Unconsciousness— 

PAGE 

-Continued 

Fainting. 


. 335 

Freezing. 

1 

.. 336 

Sunstroke .... 


. 336 

Vascular ectases 

V 

. 229 

Veins, enlarged . 


. 275 

Vemix easeosa . 


. 148 

Vitamines. 


. 91 

Waistline . 

W 

.75,76 

Walking . 


.60,138, 212 

Warts . 


. 230 

Wash cloths .... 


. 222 

Water . 


.91,99, 214 

Waving hair ... 


.193,194,198, 202 



PAGE 

Weight— 


and health . 

. 107 

Normal . 

. 92 

Reduction contest 

.107,112 

To decrease . 

.96,104 

To increase. 

.91,95 

Wig. 

. 202 

Winter sports . 

. 132 

Wrinkle plaster .... 

. 239 

Wrinkles . 

.212, 226, 234, 238 

Wrists, reduction of 

.84,277 

X 


X-ray. 

. 184 

Y 


Y outh— 



Renewing of .265, 268 

Serum of .266,268 






























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